Between April 17 to April 19, we had the great pleasure of presenting the JVMG-Project at the “Soundscapes of Storytelling. Music, Atmosphere, and Narrative in Studio Ghibli Films”-Workshop at the HMT Leipzig. Organized by Christoph Hust, Professor for Music at the HMT Leipzig, the program featured a thematically diverse range of topics and perspectives on the music in Studio Ghibli Films: from rural and urban imaginaries, nostalgia, and instrumentations, over aesthetics, atmospheres, and the tension between the West and Japan, to contexts and fan-reception. This led to rich discussions and exchange of perspectives and ideas in a supportive and appreciative setting.
As the JVMG-project is primarily focused on visual media, such as visual novels and manga, or the visuality of audio-visual media, such as films and anime, it is fundamentally lacking in the inclusion of databases on the sonic dimension of audio-visual media. In our presentation, we gave insights into the current state of the JVMG project and possible inclusions of fan-curated databases that specialized in gathering and archiving data on sound in Japanese media, such as soundtracks, voice actors and actresses, and instrumentations as well as other metadata. Additionally, we provided possible musicological case studies that could benefit from a research database that funnels and prepares data on sound. Inspired by the presentations at the workshop, which demonstrated the importance of sound for contemporary popular cultural phenomena and their impact on society and transcultural understanding, we now have a clearer understanding of the role of sound-focused databases.
All in all, it was a successful weekend with fruitful discussions, cross-disciplinary exchanges, and building new bridges. We would like to thank Christoph Hust for his invitation, organization, and great efforts to bring this workshop to life. Furthermore, we would like to thank all the participants for their insightful presentations and perspectives.
Vortrag-Ghibli-Tagung