Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TVSM (Teotihuacan Virtual Sound Map: Exploring the Sonic Sphere of the City of the Gods, Mexico)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2019-07-01 al 2022-06-30
Since its decline around 750 CE, the UNESCO world heritage site of Teotihuacan in the highlands of central Mexico remained silent, its pyramids and temple structures covered by earth and vegetation for a very long time. The noises of everyday life ceased, the music was gone. But was it all lost forever? During the last 130 years, the period of extensive archaeological research of the ancient city, a great amount of sonic artefacts was unearthed all over the site and many mural paintings belonging to temple and palace structures were uncovered, bearing a rich iconography showing musical instruments, song, and dance. Remarkably, many of these finds were not recognized as a valuable source of research on past life at Teotihuacan, and the topic of music had drawn virtually no scientific attention. Until the TVSM, the array of musical instruments produced was widely unknown, including their individual construction techniques, morphology and design, but also how they sounded, when and for what purposes they were employed, and how their sounds interacted within the architecture of the urban setting. The TVSM was designed to fill this lack of research, and bring back the sounds of the ancient city to the many visitors of the site as well as to the general public worldwide, contributing to a much better understanding of the civilization of Teotihuacan. For a single researcher, this was a highly ambitious, but ultimately more than successful attempt. Through the application of a multidisciplinary scientific-artistic approach, it was possible to break the silence of the pyramids and monuments of the site, contributing to a much deeper comprehension of the life of this pre-Columbian culture. The challenging project demonstrated that aspects of the intangible cultural heritage of a past society could still be recovered, highlighting seems-to be-lost achievements of humanity.
Among the measures taken was a thorough analysis of the music-related finds stored in several facilities in Mexico, Sweden, and Germany. It was discovered that many different instruments have been employed in Teotihuacan, some of which were widely used all over the site, while others were used only in particular areas and also in more exclusive and restrictive contexts, such as priestly activities. By additionally taking into account the music iconography in Teotihuacan art, the particular configuration of a complex music culture was uncovered. It was noted that the original sound artefacts are mostly broken and in unplayable condition, while other instruments are not preserved and only shown in art. The survey of the music-related finds was followed by the production of a series of replicas/reconstructions of the full array of Teotihuacan musical instruments, according to their original materials, morphology, design, and construction techniques. In the next step, the instruments were sounded by applying different playing techniques, musical improvisations were performed, and the acoustic properties were measured. Among others, it was discovered that some of the instruments, such as the so-called quadruple flutes and whistling vessels, are highly complex in terms of their particular construction technique and morphological design, reflecting a wish for the creation of very special sounds only to be produced on hand of these particular instrument types. The knowledge of such instruments, which are incomparable to those of other contemporary pre-Columbian cultures, has been also exported to societies abroad, revealing cultural influences of Teotihuacan on the musical level. This means that the culture developed a particular sonic aesthetics, distinct to the aesthetics of contemporary cultures, such as the Maya. Professional recordings of original, playable instruments were made in museum environments, as well as recordings of the replicas/reconstructions in both studio environments and on-site. In addition, the sonic properties of the main preserved archaeological structures of Teotihuacan were recorded on-site. The first scientific results of the project were published in a series of articles on the Teotihuacan instrument organology and acoustics, and shared in workshops and papers on international conferences, seminars and lectures in Europe and the Americas. Also, an elaborate interactive website was created, which synthesizes the scientific results of the project, and makes many of the sound recordings available. In addition, a sample pack of the Teotihuacan sounds has been compiled and can be downloaded for free, and a YouTube channel features videos on project activities. For the general public, the project was featured worldwide in magazines, such as The Economist, and in radio features, such as for the BBC World Service - Cultural Frontline. Finally, a selection of the recordings of the musical improvisation and Teotihuacan soundscapes was used for the design and implementation of the TVSM soundwalk, a virtual sound exhibition, accessible for the visitors of the world heritage site.
The TVSM created a model for exhibiting sound in the site of Teotihuacan through an easy-to-use, gps-based mobile phone app, to be downloaded for free. This innovative soundwalk event creates a life experience, breaking the silence of an ancient culture. The sonic footprint created contributes to a much deeper comprehension of the flourishing life of the past. The scientific-artistic approach and corresponding technology tested in Mexico can now be applied to other sites and historical settings worldwide. It is planned to apply for funds for the realization of similar research and events at other world heritage sites, for example through the UNESCO’s International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD). In terms of a better recognition in the fields of cultural sciences and the arts, the TVSM significantly developed the branch of global archaeoacoustical research. The project also contributes to a greater cultural awareness of the musical history of humanity in general. Follow-up projects, including a possible joint-project on the virtual archaeoacoustics of the site, in which advanced 3D-modelling and VR would be involved, will further increase these impacts. This also applies to the ongoing exploitation of the TVSM research results, beyond the published material on the organology and acoustics of Teotihuacan sound artifacts and musical culture. A book on the topic has been already written and is soon ready to be submitted for review to the publishing houses, and a series of further scientific articles, including works on the archaeoacoustics of the site, is submitted for review in international journals, or in preparation. Further lectures on the topic are already planned. Furthermore, the reconstructions and replicas are now available to be fully explored and recorded by professional musicians, and the sample pack of Teotihuacan sounds for musicians and sound designers is available for download from the TVSM website. A cassette on Teotihuacan sounds has been already published by Polish experimental musicians on Patalax Records. The sonic impressions designed for the Teotihuacan soundwalk will be compiled and mixed for a high quality CD project; contacts with possible record labels are already established. The upcoming CD will create another outreach of the project, generating further impacts to audiences worldwide.