Category Archives: selfpromo

A Brief History of Sound Recording book now available

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A Brief History of Sound Recording: Fully Incomplete and Highly Biasedby Dr John Kannenberg Imprint: Museum of Portable Sound PressOn sale: 27 November 2025Price: £30.00Pages: 124ISBN: 9798347413720 CONTACT:Johnjohn[at]museumofportablesound.com “A true labour of love and well worth your time.” —Wallpaper* Magazine, December 2025 Ten years in the making, this unconventional history of audioContinue reading “A Brief History of Sound Recording book now available”

Museum of Portable Sound Marks Its First Decade Of Operation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PORTSMOUTH, UK, 11 November: The Museum of Portable Sound (MOPS) today commemorates the tenth anniversary of its first public event, its Grand Opening Gala which took place at 6:30pm at the London College of Communication, Elephant & Castle, London. The capacity crowd in attendance witnessed a ribbon cutting ceremony officiated by ProfessorContinue reading “Museum of Portable Sound Marks Its First Decade Of Operation”

Live Museum Tour in New Delhi

NEW DELHI, INDIA — On Saturday, 18 May 2024, Museum of Portable Sound (MOPS) Chief Curator John Kannenberg will lead a live guided tour of the world’s number one portable sound museum for current sound students and the general public at the Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts & Communication, New Mehrauli Road, Adchini, New Delhi,Continue reading “Live Museum Tour in New Delhi”

Sounds Beyond Music Curator’s Talk: Thursday 8 February 2024

Our Director & Chief Curator Dr John Kannenberg will give a Curator’s Talk on Thursday evening, 8 February 2024 at 5:30pm in conjunction with our Sounds Beyond Music exhibit currently on view at the University of Portsmouth Library. The talk will include a brief introduction to our museum, a listening session of some sounds in ourContinue reading “Sounds Beyond Music Curator’s Talk: Thursday 8 February 2024”

Audio.com Podcast featuring our Director

Sound sharing website Audio.com has published a podcast interview conducted by Audio.com’s Ilia Rogachevski with John Kannenberg, our Director & Chief Curator. #RIYL listening to a grumpy old white guy say things about sound, music, and sound art that you probably won’t agree with! Here’s their official summary: John Kannenberg, founder of the Museum ofContinue reading “Audio.com Podcast featuring our Director”

Why ‘Portable Sound’?

“I thought ‘Museum of Portable Sound’ sounded equal parts legitimate and confusing, which in my mind was a huge advantage.” Why are we called the Museum of ‘Portable Sound’? And what even IS ‘Portable Sound’? Read a new interview with our Director & Chief Curator discussing the various meanings of what ‘portable sound’ means toContinue reading “Why ‘Portable Sound’?”

Get to Know Our Collections!

We’ve just completed a substantial update to our website: an all-new section about our Collections! There are now individual pages dedicated to each of our four primary collections: our Permanent Collection of Sounds our Physical Objects Collection our Research Library and our Video Gallery Read about how each collection got its start, look at behind-the-scenesContinue reading “Get to Know Our Collections!”

Ecsite 2021 Conference Appearance

Earlier today our Director & Chief Curator appeared as part of The Power of Sound, a panel session that took place at the Ecsite European Network of Science Centres & Museums 2021 conference. The session was convened by Michèle Antoine of Universcience in Paris, and also featured presentations about sound-based exhibitions by Mark Read ofContinue reading “Ecsite 2021 Conference Appearance”

Announcing Our First Ever Online Exhibition: MP3@25, A Celebration Of A Quarter Century Of Worldwide Compressed Digital Audio

MP3@25: The Anniversary Exhibition, 1995–2020Opens Online 14 July 2020 What is an MP3? What is the history of the MP3? What is the legacy of the MP3? We’ll be investigating these questions and more in this provocative free online exhibition which explores how a file type can change the world. Features work by Suzanne Vega,Continue reading “Announcing Our First Ever Online Exhibition: MP3@25, A Celebration Of A Quarter Century Of Worldwide Compressed Digital Audio”

Celebrate Our Grand Re-Re-Re-Opening & 40 Years of the Sony Walkman at the National Science and Media Museum

On 1 July 2019, the Sony Walkman will turn 40 years old. We’re teaming up with the National Science and Media Museum to celebrate this milestone. The Sony Walkman was a breakthrough in portable technology that changed the way the world listens. It allowed individuals to create their own sound environment, opening up a new, cinematic,Continue reading “Celebrate Our Grand Re-Re-Re-Opening & 40 Years of the Sony Walkman at the National Science and Media Museum”

New Exhibition Trailer: Portable Sound in Cinema 1979-2000

Watch the trailer for our latest temporary exhibition – and our first ever video exhibition – a survey of portable sound technology on display in late 20th century cinema! Find out more about the exhibition and book your own visit!

OUT NOW: The 4′33″ Museum book & audio box set!

We’re pleased to announce the release of a new printed book and digital audio box set, The 4′33” Museum! This deluxe printed book and digital audio set includes nearly 4 hours of sounds from 50 different museums around the world, and the book contains full-colour photographs, notes, and an essay on collecting. Our Director and Chief CuratorContinue reading “OUT NOW: The 4′33″ Museum book & audio box set!”

In Our Magazine: Ana Paula Santana

We’ve launched a new online magazine over at Medium.com! And our first article is by our own Curatorial Assistant, Cristina Sousa Martínez. In ‘And So Their Scars Turned to Gold’, Cristina interviews Mexican artist Ana Paula Santana about her current sound installation project entitled ‘Resiliencia’, a collaborative activist work that’s bringing to light the storiesContinue reading “In Our Magazine: Ana Paula Santana”

MOPS Director on Artists & Friends Podcast

Our Director and Chief Curator John Kannenberg is featured on the latest interview of the London-based art podcast Artists and Friends, who recorded the episode with hosts Sid and Jim in the café at the V&A Museum in South Kensington last week. • Stream the episode on Soundcloud • Download it & subscribe on iTunes

Buy our Gallery Guide Book!

Our Gallery Guide is now available for purchase! This is the complete printed edition of the official Gallery Guide for The Museum of Portable Sound! This is a high-quality, collectible facsimile edition of the very same Gallery Guide the Museum’s visitors use every day. Lavishly illustrated, featuring a record of every object label, every didactic text,Continue reading “Buy our Gallery Guide Book!”

Londonist Review!

We’re absolutely thrilled to report we’ve been reviewed by Londonist, the arts & entertainment website! The review does a great job of introducing our museum to a wider public, and summarises our somewhat arcane and complicated visiting policies in a clear, thoughtful manner. If you’re looking for a place to start learning about what weContinue reading “Londonist Review!”

Listening to Culture: Public Talk in Rome, 10 April

Our Director and Chief Curator John Kannenberg will be giving a public talk and hosting a listening workshop at John Cabot University in Rome, Italy on 10 April. The talk will cover his work as an artist interested in the sound of museum environments as well as his work establishing The Museum of Portable Sound.Continue reading “Listening to Culture: Public Talk in Rome, 10 April”