SOUND IN SILENCE
Sound in Silence is the name I gave to my final year Degree project. It was a self proposed brief where we had to approach any design issue that we wanted and produce an approiate solution.
Design Issue:
The identified design issue looks into how people with hearing impairments cannot experience music or sound and how this is the general perception of society. However, Research has shed light on the fact that they can relate to music/ sound through the vibrations produced.
Design Hypothesis:
The hypothesis collaborates the use of vibrations produced and design elements to target their other senses of touch and vision respectively. This will allow them to 'see' and 'feel' sound allowing to have a unique musical experience.
3 Posters: I designed three posters through which I hoped to summarize my project so as to help people understand what it is all about. My Posters talk about the issue, the hypothesis and the deliverables. The TYPE used for the headings is also designed by me.
Design Issue
"Deafness is essentially a hearing impairment that denies sound from adequately reaching the brain. This leaves society with the general impression that the disabled cannot appreciate sound and music.
Can this Perception be challenged?
Solo Percussionist, Evelyn Glennie said, "Society cannot continue to disable themselves through their need to categorize people or make assumptions as to another individual's abilities."
So the question that remains is whether there is an allowance for other ways and mediums to exist through which a person with a hearing disability can experience sound or music."
Design Hypothesis
"It is an established and research based fact that people with hearing impairments can experience sound or music through the vibrations that are produced. These vibrations are processed in the same area of their brains that a person with normal hearing abilities uses for listening.
This project aims to enhance this experience for them and does so by looking into the integration of tangible and visual experiences. This has been done so as to target two senses instead of one thus allowing them to have the ability to observe sound.
Thus, the combination of vibrations and image making as a tool for communication is the basis of the hypothesis of the project."
Design Outcomes
"Short 2D animations have been designed to capture the significance of sounds that exist around us. As individuals who have normal hearing abilities, we tend to naturally take for granted that we have the ability to hear these sounds. The clips, come equipped with a set of customized speakers which enhance the vibrations produced by the respective sounds.
To fully understand this project, a person must place his hands on both the speakers whilst watching the animations. These clips have two purposes. Firstly, this projects acts as a medium through which individuals with hearing disabilities, can experience sound. Secondly, it helps spread awareness about the issue being tackled."
We had to exhibit our work at the end of the year. Each of us had a table to ourselves. I printed my posters on transparencies so the wooden table would act as the background.
