Co-designing sound art: call for participants with Cochlear Implants

Co-designing sound art is a V&A Adult Learning Communities Programme co-designed with artist Tom Tlalim in partnership with Action on Hearing Loss. Tom Tlalim is an artist, researcher and writer working as an artist in residence at V&A.

The V&A in partnership with Action on Hearing Loss and the artist Tom Tlalim would like to invite 12 adult Cochlear Implant (CI) users to participate in an artistic research project, exploring what music and sound art sound like with CI. The aim of this unique project is to explore how music and sound art might be enjoyed with CI, and to co-design bespoke soundscapes for unique hearing experiences.

Historically, Cochlear Implants are designed to recognise speech. Listening to complex environmental and musical sounds is more challenging, and requires work and training on the part of the user. Through in depth one-on-one interviews and group work*, the artist Tom Tlalim will interview you about your hearing experience with CI in particular sound environments, and about listening in museums or other art contexts. Part of the research will involve sharing and listening to sounds you and other participants bring with you, and discussing what they sound like and what meaning they store.

The project will take place over a period of 8 weeks during the autumn of 2016. You will be part of a group of 12 participants. The project will include 2 individual meetings with the artist Tom Tlalim and 2 group gatherings where we will invite group members to meet, work together, listen and discuss aspects of hearing. All meetings will take place at the V&A. The total time required from each participant is will be around 8 hours, spread between October and December 2016. Sessions will take place on Friday afternoons in slots scheduled between 5 and 9 pm.

Employing a unique co-design approach, the project hopes to learn from participant’s personal experiences and insights about the quality of individual listening experiences, and the sonic environment as mediated through listening and sound. In parallel to exploring hearing, a collection of sound examples will be collated from material brought by the participants and the artist. The collaboration will lead to a gallery display of the process, which will be shown at the newly opened Sackler Centre for Arts Education at the V&A.

For further Information on how to be involved and any queries please send an email to Tom Tlalim (t.tlalim@vam.ac.uk) and copy in Residencies Programme Manager Laura Carderera (l.carderera@vam.ac.uk) with FUTURE DESIGN SOUND ART in the subject heading. The deadline for expressions of interest is 12 September, 2016.

*Research Sessions will be filmed. Material may be used (with participant’s consent) in research outputs and in resulting artwork. V&A Film and Image forms will be passed to participants.

Venue: Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), Cromwell Road, South Kensington,SW7 2RL

Project period: A period of 8 weeks starting on 7 October 2016. 8 hours per participant.