Information
The Tohoku Forum for Creativity of Tohoku University is co-hosting the following Asian Sound Cultures 3.
The third edition of the Asian Sound Cultures conference (ASC3) is organised by the Asian Sound Cultures (ASC) project in collaboration with the Center for Integrated Japanese Studies (CIJS), Tohoku University.
Under the theme "Art meets Science, Performance meets Technology", this year's conference explores how sound connects artistic practice, scientific inquiry, technological experimentation, and research in the humanities. Building on previous gatherings in Tokyo and Sheffield, ASC3 in Sendai brings together scholars, sound artists, and practitioners from across Asia, Europe, North America, and beyond.
The organizers warmly welcome you to join the conversation and shape the future of Asian sound studies together.
Date
September 1, 2026 – September 3, 2026
Venue
TOKYO ELECTRON House of Creativity 3F, Lecture Theater, Katahira Campus, Tohoku University [Access]
Hosted by
Asian Sound Cultures Project
Co–hosted by
Center for Integrated Japanese Studies, Tohoku University
Graduate School / Faculty of Arts and Letters, Tohoku University
Tohoku Forum for Creativity, Organization for Research Promotion, Tohoku University
Format
Hybrid
- Day 1 will be held online, with an on-site gathering option for participants in Sendai.
- Days 2–3 will be held in person at Tohoku University, with remote audience access via Zoom.
Registration
Admission: Free (Registration required)
Registration Form
Webpage
Time Schedule
- Tuesday, September 1, 2026: Online, with on-site gathering option
- DAY 1: Sound across distance: voice, body, healing, archive
- 08:30 – 09:15
- Reception & Brief Welcome
- 09:15 – 10:30
- Session 1: Voice & Mediation
- 10:30 – 11:00
- Coffee Break
- 11:00 – 12:15
- Session 2: Sound, Embodiment & Platform Cultures
- 12:15 – 13:15
- Lunch Break
- 13:15 – 14:15
- Online Workshop: Sonic Imagination of Asia
- 14:15 – 15:45
- Session 3: Sound, Healing & Disciplining Bodies
- 15:45 – 16:15
- Coffee Break
- 16:15 – 17:45
- Session 4: Media Histories & Sonic Innovation in Asia
- Wednesday, September 2, 2026 | In person, with remote audience access via Zoom
- DAY 2: Sound in place: environment, text, margins, empire
- 08:00 – 09:00
- Registration & In-person Welcome
- 09:00 – 10:30
- Session 5: Sonic Histories & Colonial Mediations
- 10:30 – 11:30
- Introduction to Permanent Exhibition & Extended Coffee Break
- 11:30 – 13:00
- Session 6: Sound, Text & Literary Cultures
- 13:00 – 14:30
- Lunch Break
- 14:30 – 16:00
- Parallel Sessions (Acoustic Environments & Urban Soundscapes / Sound and Singularity)
- 16:00 – 16:45
- Screening and artist talk: Earth Is All Melody
- 17:15 – 18:45
- Evening Reception & Koto/Shamisen Performance
- Thursday, September 3, 2026: In person, with remote audience access via Zoom
- DAY 3: Sound at the boundaries: wellbeing, art–science, voice, memory
- 08:30 – 09:00
- Registration / Coffee
- 09:00 – 10:30
- Session 8: Music, Memory & Cultural Politics
- 10:30 – 10:45
- Coffee Break
- 10:45 – 12:15
- Session 9: Sound at the Art–Science Boundary
- 12:15 – 13:45
- Lunch Break
- 13:45 – 15:15
- Parallel Sessions (Sound, Wellbeing & Pedagogy, etc.)
- 15:15 – 15:45
- Coffee Break
- 15:45 – 17:15
- Roundtable: Sound and Wellbeing in Japan: Art, Science and Lived Experience
Chair: TBA
- 17:15 – 17:30
- Closing Remarks & Conference Wrap-up
Organizers
Lead Convenor: Iris Haukamp (Center for Integrated Japanese Studies, Tohoku University)
Co-Convenors: Martyn David Smith (University of Sheffield), Christin Hoene (Maastricht University)
Contact
Asiansoundcultures*gmail.com (change * to @)