Exhibiting Ethnomusicology: Curation across Cultures and Disciplines

This chapter gives a reflexive account of two contrasting collaborative ethnomusicological projects that culminated in public exhibitions of work, websites, online archives, and/or public lectures. It provides a set of related concerns, including the management of expectations when presenting material to general rather than academic audiences, ethics, the use of language across cultures and disciplines, and a general lack of self-representation within academia and museums. The chapter contends that such issues are best addressed practically, placing reciprocity at the heart of research and engagement, and working with communities by inviting practitioners and members of the community to be active partners in the research and dissemination of applied-musicological projects. Both Soundscapes Rostock and Nimitaau culminated in exhibitions and online content to examine and demonstrate how recorded sounds (of the environmental soundscape and fiddle music respectively) could be presented in publicly engaging and informative way, rather than being consigned to archives or referenced through journals alone.