Music, materiality and making sense of museum collections

Tom Jackson and Scott Mc Laughlin have been awarded funding from the Cross-Disciplinary Innovation Fund, provided by Leeds Museums and Galleries and the Cultural Institute at the University of Leeds.

Their funded project will generate a number of proposals for research‑informed and visitor‑focused events, activities and installations forming part of the music-themed exhibition at Abbey House Museum in 2020.

Inspired by the extensive array of music-related items in the Leeds Museums and Galleries collections and with the aim of bringing together academics, curators and digital media practitioners, the project will design a range of experiences which will engage the public in debates regarding the value of preserving and exhibiting such items.

Hosted by Tom Jackson (Lecturer in Digital Media, School of Media and Communication), Scott Mc Laughlin (Lecturer in Composition and Music Technology, School of Music) and Kitty Ross (Curator of Leeds History/Social History, Leeds Museums and Galleries), an interdisciplinary workshop will provide the opportunity to unlock lost sounds, add new layers of interpretation, and open up new ways of interacting with museum collections.