AURAL CULTURE: DECODING THE SACRED SOUNDSCAPES OF MEDIEVAL EUROPE

Medieval monasteries shaped sacred landscapes of Europe not only visually, but also aurally, with the sound of large percussion instruments – such as bells, matracas, and semantron. Despite they created an authentic aural culture of medieval Europe, the monastic soundscapes remain unexplored. The CULT-AURAL project is interdisciplinary, aiming to explore a novel area of research - the medieval aural culture that infused monastic landscapes, and its role in identity creation. Were the acoustic quality of sacred soundscapes and large percussion instruments relevant for medieval communities? What was the spatial imprint of monasteries’ aural communication? Did male and female monasteries have similar aural imprints in the soundscape? To answer these questions, I will receive training on archaeoacoustic methodology at one of the largest historic soundscape research hubs located at the University of Barcelona, and transversally undertake six case studies in three contrasting regions of Europe – Catalonia, Norway, and Serbia, including male and female monasteries that significantly retained the medieval setting. I will test and document the acoustic properties of soundscapes and large percussion instruments based on the onsite acoustic measurements, explore the audibility of the instruments via the acoustic models, and examine the role of gender through a comparative analysis. I will participate in several research groups for skills and knowledge transfer. Scientific publications for experts and talks for lecturers and students will efficiently disseminate the project’s results. At the secondment (Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo) I will be trained how to communicate research results to the wide public via multisensory exhibitions, which will also add significant impact to the fellowship. Besides at the new medieval exhibition in Oslo, the results will also be communicated through social networks and public interactive talks in all three countries.