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{
    "pk": 62081,
    "title": "The Sonic Record: Interpretation, Aesthetics, and Labor History",
    "subtitle": null,
    "abstract": "This article reflects on the theory and process of The Measure of Work: Sounds of Labor in Lowell, an interdisciplinary project that uses sound as an interpretive lens to explore labor history at Lowell National Historical Park. Drawing on sound studies, literary theory, and principles of dialogic interpretation, this project asked two interrelated questions: How might an emphasis on sound change the way we interpret labor history? and, How could the creation of a sound-centric museum experience open up new interpretive pathways? In partnership with the local arts and culture non-profit Mosaic Lowell, the park enlisted six composers to create original music that incorporated the sounds of work from different periods of Lowell’s long history. Workshops with community members, archival research, and field recordings informed compositions, which represent a wide breadth of musical styles. The resulting installation intervenes in the Boott Cotton Mills Museum’s current exhibits by juxtaposing established stories of progress, productivity, and decline with soundscapes that illuminate changing conceptions of work over time. The article shows how aesthetic forms have the capacity to both expand and destabilize dominant historical narratives.",
    "language": "eng",
    "license": {
        "name": "",
        "short_name": "",
        "text": null,
        "url": ""
    },
    "keywords": [],
    "section": "Featured Theme Articles",
    "is_remote": true,
    "remote_url": "https://escholarship.org/uc/item/8r07p696",
    "frozenauthors": [
        {
            "first_name": "Sarah",
            "middle_name": "",
            "last_name": "Buchmeier",
            "name_suffix": "",
            "institution": "",
            "department": ""
        }
    ],
    "date_submitted": null,
    "date_accepted": null,
    "date_published": "2026-01-15T00:00:00-08:00",
    "render_galley": null,
    "galleys": [
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            "label": "PDF",
            "type": "pdf",
            "path": "https://journalpub.escholarship.org/psf/article/62081/galley/47965/download/"
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    ]
}