The National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA) is calling on all
Australians to participate in this year’s Sounds of Australia
nominations.
Launched in 2007, Sounds of Australia is the NFSA’s National Registry of Recorded Sound, a growing list of Australian recordings identified as truly iconic.
Past nominations added to the Registry have included early recordings by Dame Nellie Melba, The Easybeats, The Saints and the Warumpi Band, as well as Gough Whitlam’s 1975 dismissal speech on the steps of Parliament House.
Any Australian recorded sound can be nominated, provided it has been recorded in Australia or by an Australian before 1988. A panel of experts from the sound industry and cultural institutions will then select 10 items from the public nominations for addition to the ongoing National Registry of Recorded Sound.
Nominations for the 2008 list close on 1 April. The 2008 additions will be announced as part of special ‘Sound Day’ celebrations at the NFSA’s Canberra headquarters on Wednesday 18 June 2008.
For NFSA’s Director Paolo Cherchi Usai, last year’s nominations highlighted the strong connections Australians have with their recorded sound history. ‘Sounds of Australia shows that Australian identity links very closely to the recorded sounds that have been captured as moments from our history and musical culture,’ he said. ‘The first intake last year came up with some exciting suggestions and we look forward to this year’s nominations being even more amazing.’
Australia’s queen of soul, Renée Geyer, is the 2008 patron of Sounds of Australia, joining previous patrons, jazz pianist-composer Paul Grabowsky and composer Peter Sculthorpe.
‘Sound is immensely powerful. It stimulates memories and emotions and helps create a sense of national identity,’ Renée Geyer said. ‘This is an opportunity to ensure that the recordings we know, love and value are preserved for future generations.’
Recordings can be nominated directly through the NFSA website http://www.nfsa.afc.gov.au/soundsofaustralia or using a form available by phoning the NFSA on 1800 067 274.
[Release from Avviso PR for the AFC]