𝓖𝓮𝓽𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓒𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓟𝓱𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓪 𝓽𝓱𝓻𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱 𝓜𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓬 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓢𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭
How can we get closer to phenomena, music and musicians in research? How can we add more perspectives, and produce deeper, more nuanced knowledge? What are new formats to discuss contemporary culture, music and societies with? And how can we communicate research to diverse publics? This lecture is based on ethnographic research from London (2000), Beirut (2006-2010), Ghana (2013-2019), and Kenya (2020). It will use examples from my recent 2019 documentary «Contradict», about musicians in Ghana. Further it draws on experiences and thoughts from the launch (2002) and re-launch (2020) of the platform Norient – Performing Music Research. The re-launched Norient offers «ethnography as a collage», as James Clifford called it (Clifford, 1981). Its intention is to create space and place(s) for scholars, researchers, journalists, artists and thinkers from a variety of disciplines, worldwide, established and young – a community of practice, multi-disciplinary, multi-sited, multi-lingual, multi-authored, on- and offline.
Overall, the paper offers thoughts and insights in what new digital technologies and experimental formats can bring to understand people, music and culture.
He lecture will be held by Thomas Burkhalter, the founder and director of Norient.
𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓼 𝓑𝓾𝓻𝓴𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓽𝓮𝓻
Thomas Burkhalter is an anthropologist/ethnomusicologist, AV-artist, and writer from Switzerland. He is the founder and director of Norient (Norient.com), co-directed documentary films (e.g. “Contradict”), AV/theatre/dance performances, and is the author and co-editor of several books. Currently, he is working on a new music project, and on the experimental podcast series’ Timezones and South Asian Sound Stories.
www.norient.com