Papers by Sebastian Schwesinger
Sound and the Ancient Senses, 2018
Drawing on an understanding of sound as an integral functional aspect of ancient spaces, this art... more Drawing on an understanding of sound as an integral functional aspect of ancient spaces, this article analyzes reconstructed scenarios of public speech and assembly during the Late Republic on the Forum Romanum. Through the use of auralizations, the comprehensibility of a speech delivered to the crowd from the three main speaker’s platforms can be simulated: from the Republican rostra towards the comitium, from the rostra towards the forum square, and from the Temple of Castor. When combined with reconstructions of the visibility of the speaker from the crowd, it can be determined how well each platform facilitated political communication. In the Late Republic the successive shifts in location can be shown to be connected to an increase in their effectiveness for reaching ever larger audiences.
Classical Antiquity in Video Games, 2020
Haare hören - Strukturen wissen - Räume agieren, 2015
Was passiert, wenn man das Funktionsprinzip des menschlichen Ohrs in den Nanometerbereich überset... more Was passiert, wenn man das Funktionsprinzip des menschlichen Ohrs in den Nanometerbereich übersetzt, eine wissensarchitektonische Karte in einer Lecture Performance entworfen wird oder sich Forschende aus mehr als 25 Disziplinen mit Strukturen und Modellen auseinandersetzen? Welche neuen Erkenntnisse bringt die Zusammenarbeit zwischen Biomorphologie und Kunstgeschichte, Medienwissenschaft und Medizin? Und was können die Gestaltungsdisziplinen Design und Architektur zur Grundlagenforschung beitragen? Dieser Band versammelt Beiträge aus dem Exzellenzcluster Bild Wissen Gestaltung und beleuchtet im Fokus der drei titelgebenden Schlagwörter die Produktivität der vielfältigen Forschungsansätze: vom Methodentransfer zwischen den beteiligten Einzeldisziplinen bis hin zum interdisziplinären Entwurf neuer Wissens- und Forschungsstrukturen.
This paper outlines the epistemic and technological history of the Decibel and the apparatus used... more This paper outlines the epistemic and technological history of the Decibel and the apparatus used for measuring sound pressure levels. Departing from developments in otology and telephone engineering at the dawn of the 20th century, we position the transition towards urban noise measurements in New York City during the 1920s as a decisive step in the entangled fixation of noise and loudness. In the course of the developments of the audiometer and of the corresponding units of the measurement of loudness, the concepts of noise, communication, and listening in urban spaces were transformed due to an emerging paradigm of ›transmission efficiency‹. The genealogy of this constellation in otology with its notion of ›hearing impairment‹ led to its technopathologization which we consequently try to grasp as transmission impairment – allowing for disciplining both human beings and urban spaces. Beyond this critical analysis, the paper further addresses the basic method of comparison that is ...
Digital reconstructions of historical spaces have become a widespread tool in archaeology. Howeve... more Digital reconstructions of historical spaces have become a widespread tool in archaeology. However, these virtual models seek to represent past spaces almost exclusively in a visual way. This dominance of the visual occludes the fact that historical as well as contemporary spaces are characterized by a multitude of sensory experiences. In this paper, we examine the role played by media in reconstructing such sensed spaces while also depicting current interdisciplinary practice from this perspective. Drawing on the history of optics and acoustics, we undertake a critique of archaeological media. Subsequently, we present two case studies for simulations combining visual and aural impressions. The case studies demonstrate technical solutions for virtual models of two historical soundscapes: public assemblies on the Forum Romanum in Rome and on the Pnyx in Athens. Finally, we discuss how these simulations can be used to better understand the multivalent experience and acoustic function ...
Spielwissen und Wissensspiele
Communicating the Past in the Digital Age: Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Methods in Teaching and Learning in Archaeology (12th-13th October 2018), Feb 6, 2020
Digital modelling and simulation are increasingly becoming integral tools for historical research... more Digital modelling and simulation are increasingly becoming integral tools for historical research, making them relevant elements of any archaeological curriculum. In this chapter, we explore how creating reconstructions with these tools can be incorporated into programmes of study: modelling aids in critical analysis of source material, while simulations enable the critical integration of pragmatic, sensory aspects into interpretations. The use of each promotes specific forms of critical thinking that empower students to engage in historical interpretation and begin to ask their own questions.
In: Sound and the Ancient Senses, edited by Shane Butler and Sarah Nooter, 44-60. London: Routledge, 2018
Drawing on an understanding of sound as an integral functional aspect of ancient spaces, this art... more Drawing on an understanding of sound as an integral functional aspect of ancient spaces, this article analyzes reconstructed scenarios of public speech and assembly during the Late Republic on the Forum Romanum. Through the use of auralizations, the comprehensibility of a speech delivered to the crowd from the three main speaker’s platforms can be simulated: from the Republican rostra towards the comitium, from the rostra towards the forum square, and from the Temple of Castor. When combined with reconstructions of the visibility of the speaker from the crowd, it can be determined how well each platform facilitated political communication. In the Late Republic the successive shifts in location can be shown to be connected to an increase in their effectiveness for reaching ever larger audiences.
The Bloomsbury Handbook of the Anthropology of Sound
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Papers by Sebastian Schwesinger