British and Irish Sound Archives (BISA) 2026: 20th Anniversary Conference
Schedule
Thu, 14 May, 2026 at 10:30 am to Fri, 15 May, 2026 at 03:00 pm
Location
M Shed | Bristol, EN
About this Event
British and Irish Sound Archives (BISA) invite those who work with, hold, or have an interest in sound collections to join us for our 20th anniversary conference on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th May.
The conference will be hosted by the Sounds of the South West project at M Shed, Bristol.
Attendees can expect:
- Presentations on recent sound heritage research and projects
- Panel discussions on providing access to sound collections and AI
- Practical workshops on digitisation and creative re-use
- BISA Annual General Meeting
We look forward to seeing you there!
Thursday 14 May
?: 10:30 AM
Registration
?: 11:00 AM
Welcome and opening remarks
?: 11:15 AM
Update on Sounds of the South West project
Info: Katie Scaife and Heather Millward (Sounds of the South West Project Managers, Bristol City Council)
?: 11:30 AM
Parallel session - Option A
Info: Planning a sound digitisation project with Adam Tovell (Head of Sound and Audiovisual Preservation, British Library)
?: 11:30 AM
Parallel session - Option B
Info: Sound archives and creative reuse, with Marcus Smith on podcasting and John Merion Rea on his installation Atgyfodi, followed by discussion chaired by Will René
?: 01:00 PM
Lunch
?: 02:00 PM
Presentations: Approaches to collecting sound heritage
Info: Ethical approaches to field recording and archiving oral histories (Riah Naief, Listen Gallery) and challenges in crowdsourced sound heritage archives (Dr Pinar Yelmi, University of Leeds)
?: 03:00 PM
Break
?: 03:15 PM
Roundtable: Balancing rights and online access
?: 04:45 PM
Reflection: 20 years of BISA
?: 05:00 PM
Close of day one
Info: Delegates are encouraged to join the committee for a meal and drinks (not included, details to be confirmed)
Friday 15 May
?: 08:45 AM
Tour of Bristol Archives
?: 10:00 AM
Welcome at M Shed
?: 10:15 AM
Presentations: Recent work in sound archiving
Info: Materiality and embodiment: a a phenomenological reappraisal of digital sound archiving (Zhuolin Li, University of Leicester) and a manual for the restoration of the sound of amateur films (Jean-Baptiste Masson)
?: 11:00 AM
Break
?: 11:30 AM
Panel discussion: AI, ethics and sustainability
Info: With Carl Davies (Senior Curator, BBC), David Govier (Sound Archivist, Manchester Central Library), and Dr Hannah James Louwerse (Newcastle University Oral History Collective)
?: 01:00 PM
Break (lunch not included)
?: 02:00 PM
BISA Annual General Meeting
?: 03:00 PM
Thanks and close of day two
Where is it happening?
M Shed, Wapping Road, Bristol, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 15.00 to GBP 100.00
