Sonic Heritage, Identity and Music-making in Sheffield, “Steel City”

SCHOFIELD, John and WRIGHT, Ron (2021). Sonic Heritage, Identity and Music-making in Sheffield, “Steel City”. Heritage & Society.

[img]
Preview
PDF
Wright-SonicHeritageIdentityMusicMaking(VoR).pdf - Published Version
Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.

Download (2MB) | Preview
Official URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21590...
Open Access URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/215903... (Published version)
Link to published version:: https://doi.org/10.1080/2159032x.2021.1968227

Abstract

This paper examines the way pervasive influences within the built environment shape heritage and identity. With a focus on Sheffield, a northern English city strongly associated with a now largely defunct steel industry, the paper investigates how the city’s industrial past, its location and social fabric have shaped music-making, creating a distinctive scene that has become central to the city’s cultural identity. Using a combination of in-depth interviews and documentary analysis, Sheffield is presented from the mid-1970s as experiencing what can be referred to as a “sonic cycle” in which the city’s musicians refer to the sound of the drop-hammer in the steel forges being a backdrop to their childhood and a clear influence as they began their musical careers, and how the “industrial music” scene which they created has in turn shaped a new heritage identity. The paper concludes by promoting the idea that music created by local musicians forms a vital part of Sheffield’s character and is an essential ingredient for shaping alternative urban futures.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 1205 Urban and Regional Planning; 2101 Archaeology; 2102 Curatorial and Related Studies
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1080/2159032x.2021.1968227
SWORD Depositor: Symplectic Elements
Depositing User: Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited: 27 Sep 2021 15:58
Last Modified: 27 Sep 2021 16:00
URI: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29101

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics