Relaunch Renovated immerse! 6a / Brian Katz 18b

iMMERSE! with Charlie Morrow

This is a relaunch of immerse! 6 with updated information on the Notre Dame renovations

Brian Katz, acoustican, CNRS Research Director at Sorbonne University’s Institute Jean Le Rond d’Alembert Sound Lab, is also a specialist in spatial hearing, room acoustics, and virtual reality. The most interesting development in the past few years was his work on the Notre Dame reconstruction with regard to the acoustics in trying to reproduce the century-old sound.

April 2023 will see the launch of a 4-part French podcast series called “Une Fiction Sonore” @ http://alarecherchedenotredame.pasthasears.eu/.

It includes “In Search of Notre Dame” which claims to plunge listeners Victor Hugo mind as he researches his new novel about the Notre-Dames in 1828. Hugo was upset by the poor condition of the cathedral. Hugo leads listeners on an investigation/experiment regarding Notre-Dame’s acoustics and soundscapes over the centuries.

April 2024 will see the streaming (audio or VR), of various works played in Notre-Dame in the simulated historic acoustic conditions appropriate to their composition period, spanning choir, organ, to full orchestras.

He is currently working on a listening study that examines how the acoustics affects the transmission/reception of medieval music via various virtual acoustic conditions

He and his colleagues are also placing a small choir in various virtual acoustic conditions corresponding to different historical states, and examining how their performance is modified.

as well as refining acoustic material definitions by measuring various tapestries, rugs, and other fabrics at the Louvre and National Monument Archives. The results will be incorporated into simulations examining the more decorated periods of Notre-Dame’s history.

Brian FG Katz, Research Director, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR 7190, Institut Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, http://www.dalembert.upmc.fr/home/katz

photo of Brian Katz used with permission, Notre Dame Gargoyle by bart plantenga

All iMMERSE! texts & transcripts available here: https://www.charliemorrow.com/immerse-podcast.html