PUBLICATIONS

[accepted], Magdalena Zdrodowska, Sławomir Łotysz, Deaf Ways of Managing the Sound Revolution, in Cambridge History of Technology vol. 3, Cambridge University Press.

 

2023, Sławomir Łotysz, Muzyka epoki hałasu. Recepcja Odlewni stali Aleksandra Mosołowa w międzywojennej Polsce, "Studia z Dziejów Rosji i Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej" vol. LVIII, no, 1, pp. 101-114. DOI: 10.12775/SDR.2023.1.05

Abstract: The Iron Foundry, a suite by Soviet composer Alexander Mosolov, was premiered in Poland in 1931. The composition belonged to the “Machine Music” popular at that time. Performances of the work elicited strong reactions from the Polish public, not only because of its artistic style but also because of the composer’s ideological background. The issue of music inspired by industrial sounds had also entered the debate about the problem of noise in the human environment. 

2021, Magdalena Zdrodowska, Filmowe plansze tekstowe Emersona Romero jako próba przywrócenia kina głuchym, 1946–1955, „Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki” no 3, pp. 143-157. DOI: 10.4467/0023589XKHNT.21.023.14184

Abstract: From the perspective of the deaf, the silent movie era was the golden age of cinema. The emergence of a sound film cut the deaf audiences away from cinematic entertainment, but they made attempts to regain it despite new circumstances. One way to share sound films was with title cards “like in a silent movie”, which were used by an American deaf former actor, Emerson Romero, whose Hollywood career was interrupted by film soundtracking.

Based on the concept of media/technology ecology and the example of title cards prepared by Romero, I put forward the thesis that in the new technological environment, outdated solutions generate new cultural and social practices, gain new users, meanings, and values. This happens regardless of their actual effectiveness, as exemplified by Romero’s cards. Even though the films made available with their help were not very popular with deaf audiences, in retrospect, they have been considered the seeds of the deaf audiences’ victory in the fight for full participation in audiovisual culture.