Museum collects the sounds of lockdown

A leading North East museum is looking for family teams to create a series of sonic ‘pictures’ of experiences of lockdown.

The Discovery Museum aims to share the results of the Sonic Sounds of Lockdown project through Tyne& Wear Archives & Museums’ soundcloud platform.

Freelance artist Matt Wright, pictured, and the museum’s assistant learning officer Ruth Sheldon will guide participants on howto capture these sounds.

The sessions are part of the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage Project – led by the British Library – and aims to save almost half a million rare and unique recordings that are threatened by physical degradation or stored on formats that can no longer be played.

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums is digitally preserving 5,000 recordings, which tell the story of the region through traditional, pop and world music, drama and literature readings, oral history, local radio and wildlife sounds.

Ruth said: “When we just stop and listen to the sounds around us, there are many strange and wonderful noises happening that we might not usually notice. “We’ll show families how to capture these, give tips and tricks to spot interesting sounds, get the best recordings and produce individual audio artwork.”

“This is a collective activity for the whole family to take part in. All you need is a smartphone, computer, and a sense of adventure!”

All four sessions cost £10 and are weekly on Saturday mornings, starting this Saturday.

Visit www.discoverymuseum.org.uk