RECORDS ON DISPLAY

AURAL OBJECTS IN THE IMAGE AND SOUND MUSEUM

Abstract

We refer to ‘aural objects’ as sound that has been captured and materialised as a record in physical or digital formats, and which is susceptible to a musealisation process. They constitute a distinct type of collection, one that requires preservation, research and communication according to specific parameters, which are not always taken into account by museums. We shall reflect on these issues through a critical case study where such objects have been brought to the fore, examining the presence of vinyl records of film and animation soundtracks in the exhibition “Cinema: collections and other sensations”, held at the Museum of Image and Sound in Belo Horizonte between 8/12/2023 and 18/10/2025. Combining a discussion of the specialised literature with audio and visual records produced during fieldwork within the museum space, we will investigate specific aspects of the musealisation of a sound collection. Drawing on perspectives from museological communication and studies of popular music as heritage, we ask whether these aural objects might not have been better integrated into the curatorial and exhibition discourse, highlighting the role of soundtracks in the constitution of social memory and cinematic experience. We found that, although representative and part of the proposed overall theme, they were used solely as scenographic elements. We conclude that, by ignoring or making little use of their audio dimension, institutions end up limiting their narrative and emotional potential, highlighting gaps in the sharing of information and in the construction of knowledge and memory that they are capable of fostering.