Part of the Knowledge Futures project

This talk addresses how visualization-based storytelling is used to reveal the interrelationships between the extraction of raw materials for musical instrument making, international trade conditions, the protection status of endangered species and their ecosystems, and possible solutions for a more sustainable music ecosystem. Drawing on work done in the MusEcology project, it addresses the escalating problems of biodiversity loss, land-use change, and international trade causing species extinction. These factors also threaten cultural heritage due to resource scarcity, a threat for which there is the need for accessible information dissemination amongst the general public. Such digital storytelling incorporates text, interviews, sound recordings, photos, and drawings to illustrate the journey from forest to instrument and to highlight the connections between ecosystems, culture, and music. Our approach to storytelling aims to educate casual users and policymakers, raise awareness of biodiversity and the complexities of instrument making, and guide decision-making for a more sustainable music ecosystem.

Jakob Kusnick is a PhD student and research associate at the Department for Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Southern Denmark. His work focuses on the development of information visualization techniques for the digital humanities, primarily the analysis and visualization of cultural heritage actors and objects. In the project Tasten he was responsible for digitization of musical instruments and the design of interactive visual interfaces for exploratory research in musicology. Currently he develops an interactive Storytelling Suite for the EU-project InTaVia on digitized tangible and intangible cultural heritage aspects.

Moderated by Andrew J. Eisenberg, Assistant Professor of Music, NYUAD

In Person (NYUAD Campus)

The seminar is open to the NYUAD community and by invitation. Registration has closed.