Communicating Auditory Impairments Using Electroacoustic Composition

Changes in human sensory perception can occur for a variety of reasons. In the case of distortions or transformations in the human auditory system, the aetiology may include factors such as medical conditions affecting cognition or physiology, interaction of the ears with mechanical waves, or stem from chemically induced sources, such the consumption of alcohol. These changes may be permanent, intermittent, or temporary. In order to communicate such effects to an audience in an accessible, and easily understood manner, a series of electroacoustic compositions were produced. This concept follows on from previous work on the theme of representing auditory hallucinations. Specifically, these compositions relate to auditory impairments that humans can experience due to tinnitus or through the consumption of alcohol. In the case of tinnitus, whilst much is known about the causes and symptoms, the experience of what it is like to live with tinnitus is less explored and those who have acquired the condition may often feel frustration when trying to convey the experience of ‘what it is like’ for them. In terms of impairment from alcohol consumption, whilst there is much hearsay, little research exists on the immediate and short-term effects of alcohol consumption on the human auditory system, despite over half of the UK population reported as consuming alcohol in 2017. The methodology employed to design these compositions draws upon scientific research findings, including experimental and explorative studies involving human participants, coupled with electroacoustic composition techniques. The pieces are typically constructed by mixing field recordings with synthesised materials and incorporating a range of temporal and frequency domain manipulations to the elements therein. In this way, the listener is able to experience the phenomenon in a recognisable context, where distortions of reality can be emulated to varying degrees. It is intended that these compositions can serve as easily accessible and understood examples of auditory impairments and that they might find utility in the communication of symptoms to those who have never experienced the underlying causes or conditions. This presents opportunities for pieces like these to be used in scenarios such as education and public health awareness campaigns.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Stuart Cunningham

Conference

Publication date: July 2019

Publication date (Print): July 2019

Pages: 336-341

Affiliations

[0001]Centre for Advanced Computational Science

Manchester Metropolitan University

Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK

Article

DOI: 10.14236/ewic/EVA2019.63

SO-VID: 17bac5a9-01e5-49f0-9d94-b12dfecbc2bd

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Conference name: Proceedings of EVA London 2019

Conference acronym: EVA 2019

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Conference location: London, UK

Conference date: 8 - 11 July 2019

Conference sponsor: Electronic Workshops in Computing (eWiC)

Conference theme: Electronic Visualisation and the Arts

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1477-9358 BCS Learning & Development

Self URI (article page): https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14236/ewic/EVA2019.63

Self URI (journal page): https://ewic.bcs.org/

REFERENCES

Action on Hearing Loss 2017 Tinnitus – causes and therapies. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People London, UK Available at https://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/-/media/ahl/documents/publications/factsheets-and-leaflets/factsheets/tinnitus/tinnitus-causes-and-therapies-factsheet-nov2017.pdf retrieved 21 March 2019 )
M. D. AdamsN. S. BruceW. J. DaviesR. CainP. JenningsA. CarlyleP. CusackK. HumeC. Plack 2008 Soundwalking as a methodology for understanding soundscapes Institute of Acoustics Spring Conference 10-11 April 2008 Reading UK
A. K. AllyM. LovattP. S. MeierA. BrennanJ. Holmes 2016 Developing a social practice-based typology of British drinking culture in 2009–2011: implications for alcohol policy analysis Addiction 111 9 1568 1579
S. AntonopoulosD. G. BalatsourasS. KanakakiA. DonaC. SpiliopoulouG. Giannoulis 2012 Bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss caused by alcohol abuse and heroin sniffing Auris Nasus Larynx 39 3 305 309
D. BaguleyD. McFerranD. Hall 2013 Tinnitus The Lancet 382(9904 1600 1607
C. Black 2010 An overview of spatialised broadcasting experiments with a focus on radio art practices Organised Sound 15 3 198 208
J. Chippewa 2014 Miniature Form in Electroacoustic and (Instrumental) New Music eContact! 16 3)
J. J. Eggermont 2017 Hearing Loss: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment Academic Press
J. J. EggermontL. E. Roberts 2004 The neuroscience of tinnitus Trends in neurosciences 27 11 676 682
M. Koutsomichalis 2013 On soundscapes, phonography and environmental sound art Journal of Sonic Studies 4 1)
D. PaquetteA. McCartney 2012 Soundwalking and the bodily exploration of places Canadian Journal of Communication 37 1)
P. PearsonL. A. DaweB. Timney 1999 Frequency selective effects of alcohol on auditory detection and frequency discrimination thresholds Alcohol and alcoholism 34 5 741 749
R. Schaette 2014 Tinnitus in men, mice (as well as other rodents), and machines Hearing Research 311 63 71
R. M. Schafer 1974 Listening Sound Heritage 3 4 10 17 Aural History Program, Provincial Archives of British Columbia Canada
C. Semidor 2006 Listening to a city with the soundwalk method Acta Acustica united with acustica 92 6 959 964
P. Smucker 2018 Gaming Sober, Playing Drunk: Sound Effects of Alcohol in Video Games The Computer Games Journal 7 4 291 311
K. C. SquiresN. S. ChuA. Starr 1978 Acute effects of alcohol on auditory brainstem potentials in humans Science 201(4351 174 176
I. SzmiginC. GriffinW. MistralA. Bengry-HowellL. WealeC. Hackley 2008 Re-framing ‘binge drinking’ as calculated hedonism Empirical evidence from the UK International journal of drug policy 19 5 359 366
T. UpileF. SipaulW. JerjesS. SinghS. A. R. NouraeiM. El MaaytahP. AndrewsJ. GrahamC. HopperA. Wright 2007 The acute effects of alcohol on auditory thresholds BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders 7 1 4
J. WeinelS. CunninghamD. Griffiths 2014 Sound through the rabbit hole: sound design based on reports of auditory hallucination Proceedings of the 9th Audio Mostly: A Conference on Interaction with Sound. ACM 1-3 October 2014 ACM New York
J. Weinel 2015 Representing altered states of consciousness in computer arts Proceedings of the Conference on Electronic Visualisation and the Arts (EVA 2015) 7-9 July 2015 80 87 BCS London
E. John 2018 Adult drinking habits in Great Britain: 2017. Statistical Bulletin Office for National Statistics (ONS) UK Government Available at https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/drugusealcoholandsmoking/bulletins/opinionsandlifestylesurveyadultdrinkinghabitsingreatbritain/2017 retrieved 21 March 2019 )
H. Westerkamp 1974 Soundwalking Sound Heritage 3 4 18 27 Aural History Program Provincial Archives of British Columbia Canada
S. L. WheelerA. G. Hopwood 2015 Tinnitus: A deafhearing phenomenon Qualitative Inquiry 21 2 173 174

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] Action on Hearing Loss 2017 Tinnitus – causes and therapies. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People London, UK Available at https://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/-/media/ahl/documents/publications/factsheets-and-leaflets/factsheets/tinnitus/tinnitus-causes-and-therapies-factsheet-nov2017.pdf retrieved 21 March 2019 )

[2] M. D. AdamsN. S. BruceW. J. DaviesR. CainP. JenningsA. CarlyleP. CusackK. HumeC. Plack 2008 Soundwalking as a methodology for understanding soundscapes Institute of Acoustics Spring Conference 10-11 April 2008 Reading UK

[3] A. K. AllyM. LovattP. S. MeierA. BrennanJ. Holmes 2016 Developing a social practice-based typology of British drinking culture in 2009–2011: implications for alcohol policy analysis Addiction 111 9 1568 1579

[4] S. AntonopoulosD. G. BalatsourasS. KanakakiA. DonaC. SpiliopoulouG. Giannoulis 2012 Bilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss caused by alcohol abuse and heroin sniffing Auris Nasus Larynx 39 3 305 309

[5] D. BaguleyD. McFerranD. Hall 2013 Tinnitus The Lancet 382(9904 1600 1607

[6] C. Black 2010 An overview of spatialised broadcasting experiments with a focus on radio art practices Organised Sound 15 3 198 208

[7] J. Chippewa 2014 Miniature Form in Electroacoustic and (Instrumental) New Music eContact! 16 3)

[8] J. J. Eggermont 2017 Hearing Loss: Causes, Prevention, and Treatment Academic Press

[9] J. J. EggermontL. E. Roberts 2004 The neuroscience of tinnitus Trends in neurosciences 27 11 676 682

[10] M. Koutsomichalis 2013 On soundscapes, phonography and environmental sound art Journal of Sonic Studies 4 1)

[11] D. PaquetteA. McCartney 2012 Soundwalking and the bodily exploration of places Canadian Journal of Communication 37 1)

[12] P. PearsonL. A. DaweB. Timney 1999 Frequency selective effects of alcohol on auditory detection and frequency discrimination thresholds Alcohol and alcoholism 34 5 741 749

[13] R. Schaette 2014 Tinnitus in men, mice (as well as other rodents), and machines Hearing Research 311 63 71

[14] R. M. Schafer 1974 Listening Sound Heritage 3 4 10 17 Aural History Program, Provincial Archives of British Columbia Canada

[15] C. Semidor 2006 Listening to a city with the soundwalk method Acta Acustica united with acustica 92 6 959 964

[16] P. Smucker 2018 Gaming Sober, Playing Drunk: Sound Effects of Alcohol in Video Games The Computer Games Journal 7 4 291 311

[17] K. C. SquiresN. S. ChuA. Starr 1978 Acute effects of alcohol on auditory brainstem potentials in humans Science 201(4351 174 176

[18] I. SzmiginC. GriffinW. MistralA. Bengry-HowellL. WealeC. Hackley 2008 Re-framing ‘binge drinking’ as calculated hedonism Empirical evidence from the UK International journal of drug policy 19 5 359 366

[19] T. UpileF. SipaulW. JerjesS. SinghS. A. R. NouraeiM. El MaaytahP. AndrewsJ. GrahamC. HopperA. Wright 2007 The acute effects of alcohol on auditory thresholds BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders 7 1 4

[20] J. WeinelS. CunninghamD. Griffiths 2014 Sound through the rabbit hole: sound design based on reports of auditory hallucination Proceedings of the 9th Audio Mostly: A Conference on Interaction with Sound. ACM 1-3 October 2014 ACM New York

[21] J. Weinel 2015 Representing altered states of consciousness in computer arts Proceedings of the Conference on Electronic Visualisation and the Arts (EVA 2015) 7-9 July 2015 80 87 BCS London

[22] E. John 2018 Adult drinking habits in Great Britain: 2017. Statistical Bulletin Office for National Statistics (ONS) UK Government Available at https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/drugusealcoholandsmoking/bulletins/opinionsandlifestylesurveyadultdrinkinghabitsingreatbritain/2017 retrieved 21 March 2019 )

[23] H. Westerkamp 1974 Soundwalking Sound Heritage 3 4 18 27 Aural History Program Provincial Archives of British Columbia Canada

[24] S. L. WheelerA. G. Hopwood 2015 Tinnitus: A deafhearing phenomenon Qualitative Inquiry 21 2 173 174

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