West Bund Museum launches new 'Cultural Researcher' project

The West Bund Museum has announced the launch of a new "Cultural Researcher" project, focusing on Shanghai's local culture.

The project’s first series is the "Sounds of Shanghai." This three-year research project planned from 2024 through 2027 will focus on three major topics of "language and dialect," "industry and production," and "literature and cultural heritage.”

The first phase is language and dialect. Participants will be widely recruited from all sectors of society to explore four areas of "dialect and accent," "sounds of street life," "music and drama," and "urban environmental sounds" and discuss the role and significance of sound in urban culture from a local perspective.

"Dialect and accent" focuses on the relationship between Shanghai's local dialect and culture and its evolution in the social language environment; "sounds of street life" studies the origin, inheritance, and changes of the sounds on Shanghai's streets and in alleys and their social significance; "music and drama" discusses their status and influence in national and global culture from Shanghai, one of their important birthplaces; and "urban environmental sounds" pays attention to sounds such as of the rivers and of urban construction.

Pan-cultural scholars, including artists, cultural workers, writers, designers, and performers, as well as local youth groups and community workers, will be widely invited to participate in the research.

Application for the "Sounds of Shanghai"

1. Explain your understanding of "Sounds of Shanghai" (in not less than 2,000 words). If there is previous related research, please attach it separately. The presentation form is not limited to text, video, works, etc., but the content should be as detailed as possible.

2. Select either "dialect and accent," "sounds of street life," "music and drama," or "urban environmental sounds" for the research; explain the reason for your choice; and make a formal presentation of the research results.

3. Provide a research project budget and related allocations.

4. Submit personal resume, ID card or passport (scanned copy), and effective contact information.

5. Applications are open from now until 12 noon on September 30, 2024.

6. The West Bund Museum will provide the selected candidates with financial support for content research. Research results will be presented in the museum and via other channels including online platforms and lectures, and promoted in project publicity.

7. All materials should be submitted to: researcher@wbmshanghai.com