An acoustic and visual exploration of the 1500-year-old Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (Turkey), built by emperor Justinian in the sixth century and recognized as the largest domed interior in the Mediterranean before the Renaissance rebuilding of St. Peter’s.
For centuries, resonant voice and bounded light worked together in this magnificent interior to evoke the divine. Today as a museum, the function of the space has changed and no singing is allowed inside. Stanford University’s interdisciplinary project Icons of Sound (2008-present), directed by Bissera Pentcheva (Art History) and Jonathan Abel (Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics) and in collaboration with the foremost choir for Byzantine chant in North America, Cappella Romana, have revived Hagia Sophia's soundscape.
Using digital technology, the team has successfully imprinted the acoustic signature of that space on live sound and produced two major concerts at Stanford’s Bing Hall. This documentary records the innovative research of “Icons of Sound” that bridges technology with humanities and shows how the insights gained have deepened our understanding of Hagia Sophia’s complex history. This is particularly exigent in the current moment when this UNESCO World Monument may be converted back into a mosque and the traces of its Christian legacy wiped out.

About the organiser:

Prof. Bissera V. Pentcheva

Stanford University, Stanford, CA, US

Bissera V. Pentcheva is the Victoria and Roger Sant professor of Art at Stanford University. Her innovative work focuses on the interaction of art, architecture, and music in medieval art. She has published three books with Pennsylvania State University Press: Icons and Power: The Mother of God in Byzantium, 2006 (received the Nicholas Brown Prize of the Medieval Academy of America, 2010), The Sensual Icon: Space, Ritual, and the Senses in Byzantium, 2010, and Hagia Sophia: Sound, Space and Spirit in Byzantium, 2017 (received the 2018 American Academy of Religion Award in excellence in historical studies). She has edited two volumes: Aural Architecture in Byzantium: Music, Acoustics, and Ritual, Ashgate 2018 and Icons of Sound: Architecture, Music and Imagination in Medieval Art, Routledge, Routledge 2020. Pentcheva's research has been supported by a number of prestigious fellowships: Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (2018-2019), J. S. Guggenheim (2017-2018), American Academy in Rome (2017-2018), Mellon New Directions (2010-2012), Humboldt (2006-2009) and a Dumbarton Oaks Junior Fellowship (2000-2001).

Interactive Map: The Soundscape of Istanbul (Projection at exhibition hall)

As part of the event, the map of "The Soundscape of Istanbul" will be projected at the event venue, conducted by Pınar Çevikayak Yelmi during her doctoral studies, supervised by Assoc. Prof. Nina Ergin, Assoc. Prof. Sertaç Kakı and Assoc. Prof. Asım Evren Yantaç, is developed by Hüseyin Kuşcu.
The Soundscape of Istanbul project approaches everyday traditions and daily urban life from a sonic perspective and aims to increase public awareness of cultural sounds.
In this project, sound symbols of Istanbul were determined according to an online survey and interviews. These characteristic urban sounds were recorded with professional equipment throughout the year 2015. A specific metadata system was developed for cultural sounds and the collection of “The Soundscape of Istanbul” was made publicly accessible at Koç University Suna Kıraç Library. Thus, the collection lays background which future soundscapes and the recreation of past soundscapes may, then, be added as well.
Presented through an experiential exhibition, this interactive installation will feature sounds from the Soundscape Istanbul project archive, offering visitors the opportunity to experience cultural sounds that have been lost within the city’s chaos through the clues embedded in the installation.
For detailed information about "The Soundscape of Istanbul" please visit https://soundsslike.com/

Social Media Events

Through our social media account #SoundsLikeIstanbul, activities such as the Acoustic Scavenger hunt and posts about the sounds of Istanbul will also be carried out throughout the program and build interaction with the participants, as well as colleagues who could not join or other sound enthusiasts as well as leaving a digital mark to future.