'The Musical Instrument as an Expression of Globality' Conference, led by David R. M. Irving
18 September 2026 · 18:00
Centre d'Arts Santa Mònica, el Raval, Ciutat Vella
Musical instruments are tools that allow us to construct sound, but they are also objects laden with material and symbolic histories that can guide a critical analysis of the music we make today. Using examples ranging from the early modern period to the present, David R. M. Irving explores how materials —tropical woods, ivory, metals and animal products— reveal global networks marked by colonialism and extractivism. The conference proposes rethinking the instrument as a witness to globalisation and as a critical space from which to question our ecological and cultural present. Activity from the programme "Construir el so: lutieries, materials i mirades crítiques".
Part of the programme: Estiu als Museus. 21 activities in Barcelona, from February 26 to September 30.
Source: Ajuntament de Barcelona · checked on 8 September 2026