Eyes on Music – online workshops

Exploring Audiovisual Archives in Ethnomusicology

Guest speakers: Daniele Zappatore (Università di Roma La Sapienza) and Lorenzo Chiarofonte (Università di Bologna)

This workshop explores the role of audiovisual archives in ethnomusicological research, with particular attention to their potential as sources for analysis and dissemination. Bringing together different perspectives, the session will open with an overview of the current state of audiovisual archives of ethnomusicological interest in Italy, and will then address a range of topics including the use of archival materials within the project Listening Guides to World Music developed at the IISMC.

The workshop will also reflect on issues of access, cataloguing, and reuse of archival materials, with a focus on television archives and on collections developed within the framework of research projects. Through selected case studies, the session aims to highlight both the opportunities and the critical challenges involved in working with audiovisual archives in contemporary ethnomusicology.

Diego Carpitella Fellowship – Presentation of current film productions in progress

Diego Carpitella Fellow 2025-2026: Nicola Renzi | Advocate of Yoik

The film follows the life journey of Ánde Somby—Sámi jurist and custodian of the yoik tradition. A biocultural heritage shared between the Sámi and their ancestral land, yoik represents a powerful expression of advocacy for multibeing justice. The film title refers not only to Somby’s professional background in law, but also to the Latin root “advocare”: to use one’s voice to carry aid on behalf of others. Yoik embodies this act of advocacy—a Sámi mode of voicing with and for beings whose claims, agency, and existence are unheard and increasingly threatened by settler colonial governance and extractive regimes.

Diego Carpitella Fellow 2026-2027: winning project to be announced in June 2026.

Ambisonics: Theory and Practice from Field Recording to the VR Headset

Guest speaker: Giovanni Cestino (LEAV – AudioVisual Ethnography Lab, Università di Milano)

Ambisonic recording has only recently become an accessible technique in ethnomusicology. Despite its flexibility in editing and output, the specific skills and technical understanding required for recording and post-processing have limited its wider adoption in research and dissemination. The workshop will offer a technical introduction to the ambisonic format, covering equipment options and basic editing strategies for beginners. Selected materials from case studies in ethnomusicology and acoustic ecology will be provided for a dedicated hands-on session. Particular attention will be given to output formats, with a focus on the use of ambisonic recordings as spatial audio for 360° video.

The examination of technical aspects will be complemented by critical reflections on the potential roles of ambisonics in sound analysis and documentation, as well as in the broader discourse on technological mediation and immersivity.