DISCUSSION: MAPPING TINNITUS

Roaring, buzzing, clicking, ringing: Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound – or noise – without external stimulus, a phantom sensation that can severely impact one’s life. How can music lovers learn to live with this condition, which is often caused and exacerbated by exposure to loud sounds, and remain part of the music community? How does tinnitus relate to hearing loss? This panel discussion will include DJ, music journalist and club promoter Seb Wheeler, who navigates tinnitus and hearing loss professionally and personally; Marie Thompson, a pop music researcher, author of the book Beyond Unwanted Sound, and director of a project exploring how the arts might help mediate experiences of tinnitus; and Mack Hagood, a media researcher, author of Hush – Media and Sonic Self-Control, and expert in “orphic media”, used to mask noise including tinnitus. Together they will examine the phenomenon of tinnitus from different perspectives in a discussion moderated by journalist Cyryl Rozwadowski.

This idea for this discussion was selected from the Unsound 2024 Open Call, submitted by Cyryl Rozwadowski.