A new research project from the University of Nottingham will set out to explore our understanding of early modern travel by placing sound at the centre of historical investigation.
The SOUNDSHIP project, led by Dr Tin Cugelj, an expert in historical sound studies in the Department of Cultural, Media, and Visual Studies, will investigate how sound shaped identity, interaction, and cultural cohesion among diverse communities travelling the maritime route between Venice and Jerusalem in the 15th and 16th centuries.
By examining how the auditory environment influenced the identity and dynamics of these early modern pilgrim communities – including non-human sounds, the sounds of silence and noise, and music – the EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)-funded SOUNDSHIP project, will advance the growing field of historical sound studies through a focus on sonic identities.
Travelling on an early modern ship from Venice to Jerusalem was no different from taking any mode of transportation today: you were thrown into close quarters with strangers from different backgrounds, trying to live together for the journey. And just as we remember the constant cabin noise (the announcements, the chatter, the hum), pilgrims remembered the ship through its sonic environment: prayers, signals, creaking timbers, and the frightful sound of the immense sea."
Between 1450 to 1650, the maritime route linking Venice to Jerusalem was a vibrant corridor of exchange, traversed by thousands of people from different regions, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds. Pilgrimages along this route brought together trans-regional, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious communities who, despite linguistic and cultural differences, forged a shared sense of belonging. According to pilgrims' diaries, this cohesion was often created and sustained through sound – from noise and silence to sonic signals such as trumpets and whistles, as well as musical practices including chanting.
Despite its centrality to the travel experience, the role of sound in early modern mobility has been largely overlooked. SOUNDSHIP aims to address this gap, offering the first systematic study of sound and music in early modern travel and transitional spaces of cultural exchange.
By examining pilgrims' narratives alongside philosophical, musical, and medical manuscripts, the project, which runs until October 2027, will explore how auditory experiences contributed to the formation and preservation of travelling communities.
Dr Cugelj, added: "By listening closely to pilgrims' diaries and contextualising them within the body of early modern knowledge, we can better grasp what sound meant in the past—what people feared, what comforted them, and what helped them belong. It is a reminder that sound still shapes how we share space, travel, and live together in the globalised world."
Drawing on sound studies, auditory history, historical musicology, religious studies, and performance practice research, SOUNDSHIP will provide a nuanced understanding of how sound was perceived and used in early modern societies. In doing so, it will shed new light on the ways sonic practices fostered community across difference – a theme with strong contemporary resonance.
Dr Cugelj will carry out the research in collaboration with James Mansell, Professor of Cultural History and Sound Studies, who is also an expert on sound methodology and innovative sound research, to examine how auditory experiences shaped communal identity and cultural interaction in transitional spaces of mobility.
Professor Mansell, said: "Sound studies is a new and exciting area of research that helps us to understand the role of listening in our cultural and social lives, past and present. We are really excited to be hosting the SOUNDSHIP project at the Department of Cultural, Media and Visual Studies and the Sound Research Centre at the University of Nottingham, where we are committed to supporting innovative and interdisciplinary research about every aspect of our sonic world."
