Organized by Pierre Prouteau (LAMC & amp; EASt/ULB, CREM, CASE)
Does the sound of the world tend to become always more amplified? Why does this feeling s tays on the mind like an earworm, sometimes with delight, often with a nega tive value attached to it – the nuisance of noise. How has this potentially universal tendency to enhance amplification been reinvigorated by electroa coustic? The objective of this study day is to address electroacoustic ampl ification in its physiological, acoustic, aesthetic, philosophical, technic al, moral dimensions—is the pleasure of some, the noise of others, and how is the occupied “volume” negotiated? And its afferent political dimension. The idea is to examine the definitions of sound intensity, its effects on a udience perception, and how electroacoustic amplification has impacted alre ady-existing repertoires, and contributed to create new ones. Can sound sys tems be a weapon in the media arena? As a weapon of the weak or an instrume nt of domination?
9h30-10h Coffee
10h-10h30 Abderraouf Ouertani (member CUNTIC, Univ. of Tunis) What amplificati on requires: The Impact of Amplification on Oud Practices (and its study)
10h30-11h Sarah Benhaim (Lecturer Univ. of Lorraine) Extreme listening : sounds and amplification in noise music
11h-11h30 Coffee
11h30-12h Muku l Menon (predoc, Univ. Tübingen) Modulating Religiosity: Qualified Amplific ation of Sounds, Ideas, and Practices
12h-12h30 Helma Korzybska (S2HEP, Univ. Lyon 1, member LESC/CNRS, Univ. Paris Nanterre) Redefining “noise”. Amplifications, modula tions and redefinitions of auditory perception through cochlear implants
12h30-14h Lunch Break
14h-14h30 Carola Lorea (Professor Univ. of Tübingen ) On mantras, picnic parties and car horns: towards a South Asian sonic the ory of amplification as auspiciousness
Conclusiv e remarks
14h30-15h Pierre Prouteau (LAMC , EASt/ULB, CREM, CASE) What is an "amplified society" ?
15h-1 6h Collective discussion and end of study day
Abderraouf Ouertani (member CUNTIC, Univ . of Tunis) What amplification requires: The impact of amplification on oud practices (and its study)
This presentation will des cribe the impact of the widespread use of electric amplification in the cas e of the oud, between constraints (sound degradation, feedback) and advanta ges (new sounds, going beyond the strict framework of chamber music). It wi ll also be an opportunity to discuss the place of socio-technical phenomena related to electric amplification in music studies and to problematise som e key concepts in ethnomusicology such as ‘instrument’, “music” and ‘musici an’.
Sarah Benhaim (Lecturer Univ. of Lorraine) Extreme liste ning: sounds and amplification in noise music
Considering lo ud sound objects in the field of music invites us to take an interest in th e technical means and technologies used to amplify musical productions, but also in musical genres that place particular importance on sound volume in their creative process and listening modalities. This is the case with noi se music, an experimental music that emerged in the early 1980s, which is u nique in that it is characterised by noise-based material and sound diffusi on conditions that are often considered extreme. I will examine how noise a rtists and listeners perceive noise and high-volume amplification aesthetic ally and sensorially, based on interviews and recordings from a field study conducted in Paris. After a brief review of the centrality of noise in noi se music, I will explain how amplification constitutes a noisy mediation fr om the point of view of instrumental performance, before showing how it pla ys a major role in live listening by promoting an immersive and ecstatic li stening experience.
Mukul Menon (predoc, Univ. Tübingen) Modu lating Religiosity: Qualified Amplification of Sounds, Ideas, and Practices
Sound in the context of public, communal, and private piety is linked to mediation with the more-than-human and the inscription of ide ntity, social relations, and associations with the past. Amplification as a tool and a method of augmenting such processes is especially evident in re ligious cultures that are based on what has been termed ‘acoustic piety’, t hat is, religiosity significantly produced, interpreted, and perceived thro ugh sound and in sonic terms. What do differences in sonic and cultural amp lification of religious practices in a hierarchical and stratified social e nvironment indicate about underlying social phenomena? To explore this idea , this paper takes as a case study the popular practice of recitations of t he 16th-century text, Addhyātma Rāmāyaṇam Kiḷippāṭṭ,< /em> a regional vernacular retelling of the religious epic Rāmāyaṇa in Kerala, South India. Using ethnographic and archival data, it looks at how, through the amplification of recitational practices and ancillary act ivities- including onsite live and playback performances, congregational so nic acts, public sermons, and political speeches in urban and rural context s- particular communities, socialities, and spaces are delineated. Modulati ons in how ideas and sounds are expanded indicate particularities of cultur al transformations and continuities. which are expressed, shared, and felt, but also creatively deployed by social agents.
Helma Korzybs ka (S2HEP, Univ. Lyon 1, member LESC/CNRS, Univ. Paris Nanterre) Redefining “noise”. Amplifications, modulations and redefinitions of auditory percept ion through cochlear implants
Introducing neurotechnologies into the bodies and perception of people who have lost the ability to hear raises numerous technical, cultural and ethical questions (Mills 2012, Frie dner and Helmreich 2012, Lloyd & Bonventre 2020, Bonventre et al. 2023, Kecman et al. 2026), nuancing widespread notions of human augmentation. Th e learning and rehabilitation process following the surgical implantation i s long and strenuous, leaving people with sounding worlds they often find d ifficult to interpret and to incorporate. Not only do individuals have to d eal with day-to-day technical issues and sensory fluctuations, but they als o must learn to manage the cultural gap with the newfound perception.
Using cochlear implants requires different types of adjustments and negoti ations, of sensory thresholds, somatic modes of attention, as well as expec tations… If “augmenting” perception doesn’t usually translate in a meliorat ive sense, some kind of enhancement does operate here. What kinds of amplif ications or intensifications are produced or enabled through these stimulat ion devices? How are perception and experience amplified in this context?
The technological design and implantation and rehabilitation protocols lead to very specific ways of heightening sensations and modes of attentio n. This communication proposes to offer insights into the complexity of equ ipping perception with technological devices, by focusing on the semantic, sensory, and affective redefinitions of “noise”, as revealed through the el ectrode calibration process and negotiations between patients and speech th erapists/audiologists observed in a cochlear implantation service in France .
Dr. Carola Lorea (Professor Univ. of Tüb ingen) On mantras, picnic parties and car horns: towards a South Asian soni c theory of amplification as auspiciousness
Based on extensive ethnographic research on mantras and sacred so und practices in India, this paper develops a preliminary theory of amplifi cation as auspiciousness. Drawing on sonic ethnography, I approach amplific ation not primarily as a technical operation, but as a culturally and ritua lly charged modality of sharing auspiciousness in space. I first demonstrat e how amplified sound is widely associated with safety, joy, the assertion of presence, life energy, and positive force. Through everyday and festive soundscapes—such as picnic-season loudspeaker cultures and the affective se nsorium of vehicular honking—I show how loudness and sonic expansion are so cially experienced as protective, enlivening, and affirming.
< span lang="en-US">The paper then moves beyond strictly audible sound to exp lore forms of non-electroacoustic amplification of unheard auspicious sound s. Focusing in particular on spinning and other kinetic practices, I examin e how motion itself amplifies mantras—understood as sacred, efficacious for mulas—by engaging agentive elements such as wind, fire, electricity, and th e human voice. Here, amplification is not only a matter of volume, but of c irculation, repetition, and scattering into space, underscoring the insepar ability of sound, movement, space, and felt vibration. By bringing together loudness, motion, and mantra practice, this paper traces the contours of a broader South Asian sonic ideology in which amplification emerges as a cen tral mode of producing auspiciousness and of making place.
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Organized by Pi erre Prouteau (LAMC & EASt/ULB, CREM, CASE)
Does the sound of the world tend to become always more amplified? Wh y does this feeling stays on the mind like an earworm, sometimes with delig ht, often with a negative value attached to it – the nuisance of noise. How has this potentially universal tendency to enhance amplification been rein vigorated by electroacoustic? The objective of this study day is to address electroacoustic amplification in its physiological, acoustic, aesthetic, p hilosophical, technical, moral dimensions—is the pleasure of some, the nois e of others, and how is the occupied “volume” negotiated? And its afferent political dimension. The idea is to examine the definitions of sound intens ity, its effects on audience perception, and how electroacoustic amplificat ion has impacted already-existing repertoires, and contributed to create ne w ones. Can sound systems be a weapon in the media arena? As a weapon of th e weak or an instrument of domination?
9h30-10 h Coffee
10h-10h30 Abderraouf Ouertani (member CUNTIC, Univ. of Tunis) What amplification requires: The Impact of Amplification on Oud Practi ces (and its study)
10h30-11h Sarah Benhaim (Lecturer Univ. of Lorrai ne) Extreme listening: sounds and amplification in noise music
11h-11 h30 Coffee
12h30-14h Lunch Break
14h-14h30 Carola Lorea (Profes sor Univ. of Tübingen) On mantras, picnic parties and car horns: towards a South Asian sonic theory of amplification as auspiciousness
Conclusive remarks
14h30-15h Pierre Prouteau (LAMC, EASt/ULB, CREM, CASE) What is an "amplified society" ?
15h-16h Collective discussion and end of study day
&n bsp;
Abderraouf Ouertani (member CUNTIC, Univ. of Tunis) What amplification requires: The im pact of amplification on oud practices (and its study)
This presentation will describe the impact of the widespread use of electric amp lification in the case of the oud, between constraints (sound degradation, feedback) and advantages (new sounds, going beyond the strict framework of chamber music). It will also be an opportunity to discuss the place of soci o-technical phenomena related to electric amplification in music studies an d to problematise some key concepts in ethnomusicology such as ‘instrument’ , “music” and ‘musician’.
Sarah Benhaim (Lecturer Univ. of Lo rraine) Extreme listening: sounds and amplification in noise music
Considering loud sound objects in the field of music invites us to t ake an interest in the technical means and technologies used to amplify mus ical productions, but also in musical genres that place particular importan ce on sound volume in their creative process and listening modalities. This is the case with noise music, an experimental music that emerged in the ea rly 1980s, which is unique in that it is characterised by noise-based mater ial and sound diffusion conditions that are often considered extreme. I wil l examine how noise artists and listeners perceive noise and high-volume am plification aesthetically and sensorially, based on interviews and recordin gs from a field study conducted in Paris. After a brief review of the centr ality of noise in noise music, I will explain how amplification constitutes a noisy mediation from the point of view of instrumental performance, befo re showing how it plays a major role in live listening by promoting an imme rsive and ecstatic listening experience.
Mukul Menon (predoc, Univ. Tübingen) Modulating Religiosity: Qualified Amplification of Sounds, Ideas, and Practices
Sound in the context of public, commun al, and private piety is linked to mediation with the more-than-human and t he inscription of identity, social relations, and associations with the pas t. Amplification as a tool and a method of augmenting such processes is esp ecially evident in religious cultures that are based on what has been terme d ‘acoustic piety’, that is, religiosity significantly produced, interprete d, and perceived through sound and in sonic terms. What do differences in s onic and cultural amplification of religious practices in a hierarchical an d stratified social environment indicate about underlying social phenomena? To explore this idea, this paper takes as a case study the popular practic e of recitations of the 16th-century text, Addhyātma Rāmāyaṇam Kiḷippāṭṭ, a regional vernacular retelling of the religious epic Rāmāyaṇa in Kerala, South India. Using ethnographic and archi val data, it looks at how, through the amplification of recitational practi ces and ancillary activities- including onsite live and playback performanc es, congregational sonic acts, public sermons, and political speeches in ur ban and rural contexts- particular communities, socialities, and spaces are delineated. Modulations in how ideas and sounds are expanded indicate part icularities of cultural transformations and continuities. which are express ed, shared, and felt, but also creatively deployed by social agents.
Helma Korzybska (S2HEP, Univ. Lyon 1, member LESC/CNRS, Univ. Paris Nanterre) Redefining “noise”. Amplifications, modulations and redefinition s of auditory perception through cochlear implants
Introduci ng neurotechnologies into the bodies and perception of people who have lost the ability to hear raises numerous technical, cultural and ethical questi ons (Mills 2012, Friedner and Helmreich 2012, Lloyd & Bonventre 2020, B onventre et al. 2023, Kecman et al. 2026), nuancing widespread notions of h uman augmentation. The learning and rehabilitation process following the su rgical implantation is long and strenuous, leaving people with sounding wor lds they often find difficult to interpret and to incorporate. Not only do individuals have to deal with day-to-day technical issues and sensory fluct uations, but they also must learn to manage the cultural gap with the newfo und perception.
Using cochlear implants requires different types of a djustments and negotiations, of sensory thresholds, somatic modes of attent ion, as well as expectations… If “augmenting” perception doesn’t usually tr anslate in a meliorative sense, some kind of enhancement does operate here. What kinds of amplifications or intensifications are produced or enabled t hrough these stimulation devices? How are perception and experience amplifi ed in this context?
The technological design and implantation and reh abilitation protocols lead to very specific ways of heightening sensations and modes of attention. This communication proposes to offer insights into the complexity of equipping perception with technological devices, by focus ing on the semantic, sensory, and affective redefinitions of “noise”, as re vealed through the electrode calibration process and negotiations between p atients and speech therapists/audiologists observed in a cochlear implantat ion service in France.
Dr. Carola Lorea (P rofessor Univ. of Tübingen) On mantras, picnic parties and car horns: towar ds a South Asian sonic theory of amplification as auspiciousness
Based on extensive ethnographic research on mantras and sacred sound practices in India, this paper develops a prelimin ary theory of amplification as auspiciousness. Drawing on sonic ethnography , I approach amplification not primarily as a technical operation, but as a culturally and ritually charged modality of sharing auspiciousness in spac e. I first demonstrate how amplified sound is widely associated with safety , joy, the assertion of presence, life energy, and positive force. Through everyday and festive soundscapes—such as picnic-season loudspeaker cultures and the affective sensorium of vehicular honking—I show how loudness and s onic expansion are socially experienced as protective, enlivening, and affi rming.
The paper then moves beyond strictly audible sound to explore forms of non-electroacoustic amplification of unh eard auspicious sounds. Focusing in particular on spinning and other kineti c practices, I examine how motion itself amplifies mantras—understood as sa cred, efficacious formulas—by engaging agentive elements such as wind, fire , electricity, and the human voice. Here, amplification is not only a matte r of volume, but of circulation, repetition, and scattering into space, und erscoring the inseparability of sound, movement, space, and felt vibration. By bringing together loudness, motion, and mantra practice, this paper tra ces the contours of a broader South Asian sonic ideology in which amplifica tion emerges as a central mode of producing auspiciousness and of making pl ace.
DTSTAMP:20260608T140340 DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Paris:20260424T090000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Paris:20260424T180000 SEQUENCE:0 TRANSP:OPAQUE END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR