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From Turntables to Museums

Janos Gereben on April 15, 2014
Example of vinyl, in black & white, of course
Example of vinyl, in black & white, of course

LPs, "records," vinyl — ah, the good old days of a medium that would never become outdated... just like cassettes, MDs, CDs, DVDs. (Not DVDs, you say? Just you wait.)

Opening on April 19 — which you surely recognize as International Record Store Day — in the Oakland Museum of California, Vinyl: The Sound and Culture of Records promises to "transform the museum into an innovative listening space where visitors create their own musical experience."

Organized by René de Guzman, senior curator of art, the exhibit aims to "explore the social and cultural phenomenon of listening to, collecting, and sharing records."

Combining a listening environment with gallery space, the exhibit features vinyl records including independent records from the mid-1960s to present; contemporary artwork by MacArthur "Genius" Award-winning instrument builder, photographer, and composer Walter Kitundu; a performance space for engaging talks and performances; and other participatory activities inspired by record culture.

Influential Bay Area independent labels are featured, along with notable record collections, displays of album cover art, and interviews with record collectors.

"Records continue to have deep resonance," says de Guzman, "because they provide a social context in which to experience music and sound culture. The ability to engage with the world in more directly human ways is finding increasing value as much of our lives become translated into data and the virtual in the heightened digital age."