Building on the Soul Souvenirs gallery exhibit, http://bullcitysoul.org is a responsive web exhibit exploring the rich history of soul, funk and R&B music in Durham, NC in the 1960s and '70s. The site lets users listen to select singles by Bull City artists; explore a complete Bull City discography; and learn about the artists, the politics, the venues, and the origins of the sound on their desktop, tablet or mobile device. The exhibit is sponsored by the Durham County Library, and co-created with Jason Perlmutter of Carolina Soul History and historian Joshua Clark Davis.
The heart of the site is the feature content on the artists and performers who made up the scene. We feature fifteen of the more than thirty groups that were active in the decades the site covers. Users access featured artists through a grid of images with interactive rollover effects: the first roll reveals the image; the next brings back the artist's name, and a click takes the user to the artist's dedicated page (with photos, press clippings, narrative content and discography).
The project is not just about music, however… it looks at the cultural and historical contexts of the sounds that emerged from the scene, including the local radio and TV market, the gospel roots, and the black power movement.
An interactive map shows the location of clubs, stores, and other locations that were vital to the scene.
A complete discography covers the more than thirty singles and three LPs recorded by Bull City artists.
The site is designed to present an accessible experience to users of tablets and mobile phones, reconfiguring navigation and layout using accordion and tabbed panels to minimize scrolling.
Each featured artist page contains a closer look at that artist's recorded legacy.
Design for the phone takes into account the limited real estate and ergonomics of the small screen.
Users can listen to select singles from Bull City artists on any device.
The artist-page discographies and sub-navigation are redesigned on the phone to make economic use of the small screen.
