Hello culture, my old friend! We’ve come to talk with you again. Remember this iconic song of the mid 1960s, Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel? We know it too well, that is why we believe that it is time to look for some new sounds! The Sound of Culture provides the awakening sound after a long period of cultural silence.

What is the event about?

The first of May, seventeen student groups are presenting their cultural projects that have kept them engaged and creative since October. The projects will be presented in various formats, starting from video presentations to posters. The content is related to different social topics. It is organized by three students of the master Cultural Studies: Marie, Gabrielė and Nora, with the support of Anneleen Masschelein and Ewout Decraene.

The idea behind the Sound of Culture

Along with the students and their projects, we began brainstorming and working on our event in October. As optimistic as we are, we started thinking about a physical project where cultural students could meet others. We wanted to provide drinks and snacks for the guests with  nice musical and artistic entertainment on the side. In addition, we booked an authentic auditorium at the Thermotechnisch Instituut in Leuven, which has a unique atmosphere. The pandemic challenged among other sectors also the cultural one. As a team we decided to change our live idea into a partially online and offline event. Instead of inviting guests to have a look at all the presentations live, this year we chose to film every group presenting their projects on the 1st of May and then publish all the presentations online, so that everyone who is interested in the projects has the ability to get to know more about them. In addition, we want to make the most out of the filming sessions. We will provide an informal environment for the students so that they can relax and enjoy the day. Even though every group will have a time slot when they can come, we encourage students not to leave right after filming and hang around a bit longer. If wanted they can meet other groups (by keeping in mind all the current measurements). A big advantage of the Thermotechnical Institute is the green environment and the Castle of Arenberg!  We hope that the big finale of the cultural awakening can happen soon.

If you are a student of Cultural Studies and are interested in what your colleagues have been doing for the past months, or a professor at KU Leuven, or someone who has been thinking of joining the Master’s programme of Cultural Studies (KU Leuven) and want to learn more about it, or maybe you are just simply a culture enthusiast? With great pleasure, we invite you to participate in the event! Check out our Facebook event for more information about the projects and the event itself! Or if you are too excited, you could check out the video below to get a little sneak peek of the event.

Team Sound of Culture

Gabriele, Marie and Nora