New episode on Notre-Dame: An acoustic reconstruction
Our latest episode is out now
Listen to Notre-Dame: An acoustic reconstruction
Is sound a ‘material’? Art Critic and philosopher Boris Groys says that although thought of as immaterial and invisible, sound can actually induce a material sense of space. It also has the power to trigger emotions, reverence and can bring to mind memories of other times.
So when Mike suggested a story about the restoration of sound in one of the world’s most iconic and historic buildings - we grabbed it. My father, Christopher Monk, was (according to his obituary) one of the best-loved figures in the world of early music and a notable eccentric in an admittedly crowded field. He restored and played an instrument that was used to accompany plainsong many centuries ago in Notre-Dame. Mike’s background is in sound, so we both had an instant fascination for this story.
This episode was recorded over a series of dates last year, and we are releasing it in the final year of Notre-Dame's reconstruction.
We were honoured to interview the team in charge of acoustics for the restoration, a key member of the architectural team, and a sound archaeologist, as well as musicians who specialise in performing compositions that were written for, and often performed for the first time in, Notre-Dame.
We hope you enjoy this week’s very special episode.
Episode 58 – Notre-Dame: An acoustic reconstruction
As always, you can see photos that accompany our episodes on our website materiallyspeaking.com, on Instagram, and on YouTube.
Enjoy listening. Sarah Monk producer, Materially Speaking