SANDRA BOSS TUNING THE EAR Exploring Conditions and Conceptions of Hearing PhD Dissertation Faculty of Arts Aarhus University Tuning the Ear – Exploring Conditions and Conceptions of Hearing By Sandra Boss Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University 2018 Main Supervisor: Morten Breinbjerg, Associate Professor, School of Communication and Culture - Information Science, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, Denmark Co-Supervisors: Morten Riis, PhD, Post doc Participatory Information Technology, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, Geoff Cox, Associate Professor, School of Art, Architecture and Design, University of Plymouth, UK. Layout & Design: Bitten Fangel Nielsen Proofreading: David Selden Thanks to: Morten Breinbjerg & Morten Riis for supervision. Marie Højlund, Winnie Soon, Rune Søchting, Finn Olesen and Geoff Cox for inspiring talks and critical comments. Jonas Olesen, Ina Hjort Jacobsen and Katrine Würtz Hansen for artistic collaborations. Valkee for sponsoring HumanChargers. Bitten Fangel for layout. Walter, Gertrud, Gitte, Torben. And especially Jonas & Ask. SANDRA BOSS TUNING THE EAR Exploring Conditions and Conceptions of Hearing PhD Dissertation Faculty of Arts Aarhus University CONTENTS Prefatory Matters TUNING IN TECHNOLOGY & THE EAR (Hearing Task #1) (Hearing Task #5) Sound Works The Otologically Normal Ear The Acoustic Appraiser (2016) Instruments for Testing Machine Therapy (2016) Creating a Continuous Tone Shouting Out Loud! (2017) The Limited Ear The Objective Ear (Hearing Task #2) The Pure Ear The Aesthetic Ear (I) Introduction The Auraltypical Ear Three Sound Works The Performative Ear The Aesthetic Dimension The Self-Objective Ear The Research Lab The Intentional Ear The Structure of the Thesis Tuning into Tuning (Hearing Task #6) The Tuned Ear The Imaginary Ear Tuning as a Methodological Approach Penetrating the Ear Tuning to Audiology Imaginary Media Tuning to Aesthetics The Hyperacute Ear Tuning to Media Archaeology The Neurotic Ear Tuning to Phenomenology The Dosed Ear Tuning to Artistic Research The Multisensorial Ear The Deaf Ear The Aesthetic Ear (II) THE EAR The Tactile Ear (Hearing Task #3) (Hearing Task #7) (Hearing Task #8) The Primitive Ear The Natural Ear The Pathologically Disturbed Ear The Trained Ear The Instrumental Ear The Articulated Ear (Hearing Task #4) The Mediated Ear TUNING OUT The Transformed Ear The Normalised Ear (Hearing Task #11) The Transparent Ear The Embodied Ear Concluding Remarks & Perspectives The Extended Ear The Amplified Ear (Hearing Task #12) The Aesthetic Ear (III) The Sounding Ear Appendix The Modified Ear Bibliography Danish Summary (Hearing Task #9) English Summary Reflections on Technology & the Ear TECHNOLOGY, THE EAR & THE OPERATOR (Hearing Task #10) Tuning Instruments Tuning as a Sonic Condition Tuning as an Operational Approach Tuning as a Temporal Engagement Musical Tuning I Musical Tuning II Tuning as Interpretation Tuning as Narrating Tuning as a Perceptual Strategy Tuning as a Spatial Condition The Operator Tuning as Affecting Causality Tuning as Negotiation Tuning as Aesthetic Investigation Tuning as Constructing Tuning as Artistic Research Experimenting with Tuning Prefatory Matters This dissertation is written in fulfilment of the doctoral degree programme conducted at Audio Design, the Graduate School of the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University. It takes the form of a methodological experiment which employs academic writing, sound, objects and hearing tasks. Three sound works have been developed in conjunction with the writing of this dissertation. They will be presented in the form of documentation and reflexions and will be performed live as part of the formal defence of this dissertation. The complete col- lection of accessories related to this dissertation is available for the assessment commit- tee and can be provided by contacting the author. 2 3 TUNING IN HEARING TASK #1 Find box #1 Place earplugs in ears 7 SOUND WORKS 8 9 THE ACOUSTIC APPRAISER - Exploring the Otologically Normal Ear CONCEPT, COMPOSER AND PERFORMER: Sandra Boss PERFORMANCES: Aarhus Kunsthal, Aarhus, DK, 2016 Lydhør på en søndag, Aarhus, DK, 2017 Gallery X & Beyond, DK, 2017 LUFF Festival, Lausanne, CH, 2017 Detritus, Athens, GR, 2018 KRAAK Festival, Brussels, BE, 2018 Fritt Fall, Oslo, NO, 2018 SOUND OBJECT: Qualitone Acoustic Appraiser (est. 1980ies, USA). The audiometer is a two-channel porta- ble audiometer originally intended for conducting hearing tests. The audiometer comes with a tape machine and a tape that contains a speech test (in German). Each channel can be controlled independently with duplicate controls for tone, masking, microphone and tape. Frequency range 125 Hz to 8000 Hz. Pulse generator, hold and slope functions (the latter is out of function). DOCUMENTATION: http://sandraboss.dk/projects/media-art/the-acoustic-appraiser/ 10 11 MASKINEL TERAPI - Exploring The Imaginary Ear CONCEPT, COMPOSER AND PERFORMER: Sandra Boss PERFORMANCES: Christianshavns Beboerhus, Copenhagen, DK, 2016 HAUT theatre, Copenhagen, DK, 2016 MIIT House, Osaka, JP, 2017 Super Deluxe, Tokyo, JP, 2017 SOTO, Kyoto, JP, 2017 Paradise Air, Matsudo, JP, 2017 SOUND OBJECTS: 14 pc Meridian Tuning forks: A set of 14 tuning forks bought through Ebay. Shipped from India. According to the seller Tuningforkspro, each tuning fork correspond to 12 major me- ridians and 2 central vessels. The tuning forks are also useful for 14 major organs and organ systems. In balancing with tuning forks, the vibration of the fork should bring the vibration of the internal meridian or organ group back into the correct vibration to achieve homeostasis. Marsona 1200 sound conditioner/sleep aid device: A vintage noise generator produced by Marpec. Patented 1978. To be used in order to “neutralize and modify sounds that are typ- ically distracting” and “to promote much needed sleep”. The Marsona unit comes with four settings: “Surf I” – a steady wave pattern, “Surf II” – a random wave pattern, “Waterfall” and “Rain”. Furthermore, adjustable knobs for tone, volume, surf rate and surf range. There is an onboard speaker, or the sound can be amplified through the 1/4”output. Vintage Marpec Sleep Mate: A vintage white noise machine consisting of an adjustable fan. Originally produced in the 1960ies. Description from Marpec.com: “Whether for sleep, privacy, concentration, relaxation, or tinnitus relief, Marpac has your sound-masking needs covered.” Electroform Muscle Stimulator Medical 12: Produces electronic vibrations and pulses in order to massage the body. The pulses are amplified and turned into sound signals using the incorporated outputs. KTK Transcutaneous Muscle/Nerve Stimulator: A device that uses electric current to stim- ulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes or to treat pain. The unit usually connected to the skin using two or mode electrodes. Waveform Generator FG 205: A home build function generator. Date of production un- known. Found in a flea market. Originally use is most likely as electronic test equipment. In this setting, it is used to simulate wave therapy. Generates different types of electrical waveforms over a wide range of frequencies, such as sine, square, triangular and sawtooth shapes. Both AM and FM available. DOCUMENTATION: http://sandraboss.dk/projects/maskinel-terapi/ 12 13 SHOUTING OUT LOUD! - Exploring the Mediated Ear CONCEPT & IDEA: Sandra Boss, Ina Hjort Jacobsen, Katrine Würtz Hansen COMPOSER: Sandra Boss PERFORMERS: Sandra Boss, Jonas Olesen, The Naval Home Guard, audience PERFORMANCES: Slipshavn, Nyborg, DK, 2017 SOUND OBJECTS: 5 hearing horns made of aluminium, 5 stools DOCUMENATION: http://sandraboss.dk/projects/shouting-out-loud/ 14 HEARING TASK #2 Remove earplugs from ears Listen with your own ears 17 INTRODUCTION Audiological instruments such as audiometers, sound therapy instruments and hearing horns have been invented in order to explore the faculty of hearing, to diagnose its effi- ciency, to enhance it or even to cure any malfunctions it might have. The limited sonic material of the audiometer, the carefully selected tones of the sound therapy instru- ments and the hearing horns’ physical enlargement of the ear all introduce a potential for approaching the ear on a concrete and tangible level beyond subjective measure- ments and cultural preferences. For me as a composer, sound artist and researcher, my interest in these particular instruments has been lit by their promise of approaching the ear in a direct, physiological sense. In these artefacts, I have found a conception of sound as vibrational force that can tune the ear. In this thesis, I will present an investigation into the ear through the many ques- tions that an artistic exploration of selected audiological instruments has generated. Op- erating audiological instruments within an artistic practice reveals new sonic potential in the technology.1 However, my aim with this operational research approach has been different. It is not only a question of hearing new sounds through the audiological instru- ments, but rather of exploring how this particular technology tunes the ear, that is, how it lets us hear and how it produces conceptions of hearing. It is my hypothesis that the tuning of the ear appears as the audiological instruments impose not only physical constraints on the hearing sense, but also social demands, imaginary ideals and aesthetic principles. Within the field of audiology, audiological instruments have been used to pres- ent a notion of hearing as the quality of pure physical capability. Within this thesis,