Ernst F. F. Chladni’s audience with Napoleon (anonymous tempera painting, Deutsches Museum Munich, no. 527”7)
Project (2011-2016)

The Making of Acoustics in Sixteenth- to Nineteenth-Century Europe

The 16th to 19th century represents a period that corresponds to a series of fundamental findings in acoustics. The aim of this project is to show, however, that the history of acoustics is not limited to the emergence of an exact science, but must also be located in a history of religious, cultural and artistic practices. The 'acoustic' is therefore of interest in its dual function as producer and object of science/knowledge.