Sound Museums

It is important for museums to devise a wide range of accessible services. In recent years, particular attention has been paid to services for people who are unable to visit museums themselves. In the city of Tampere, this includes ‘sound museums’ for lending out. For older people in nursing homes, and particularly those with memory disorders, it is important to be able to recall past events from their lives with others. Recalling the past exercises the mind and the memory and helps reflect on a person’s life journey up to the present day. Sharing memories boosts self-esteem and fosters a sense of safety and bonding. Every one of us sometimes recalls something we have not thought about for decades. How did that suddenly come into my mind? Old objects, sounds and artworks are excellent tools for unearthing memories of the distant past. In Tampere, concepts called ‘sound museums’ and ‘museum packages’ have been developed, along with a free lending service. Staff at nursing homes or day centres can check out material from the Cultural Education Unit TAITE for a period of about two weeks. There are three sound museums that contain digital audio and video recordings: sounds of people working, of animals and of nature; music; voice clips by famous Finnish radio hosts and actors; and sounds of mechanical household devices and tools. Some are historical sounds that can rarely be heard in everyday life today, if at all. In addition to the sound museums, which travel in briefcases, there are ten museum packages containing objects and photographs offering inspiration for reflection and exploring various themes in art and cultural history. The museum packages draw on the handling collection of Tampere Museums, which consists of items that can be freely handled and examined, and also contain plenty of photos and documents from the archives in digital form.