Can You Hear Me Now?
Opera Chic brought this exhibition to Miss Mussel’s attention the other day. All the images on the site seem to be un-right-clickable due to Flash, so none are available to repost here. Miss Mussel could pinch the one from OC but it’s actually the worst of a fairly awkward bunch. To be fair, hearing loss is rather a difficult concept to photograph but even at the portrait level, Mr Adams is lacking a little in imagination.
The organization putting on the exhibit is the Hear The World Initiative, a organization “that aims to raise awareness of the topic of hearing and hearing loss and to promote good hearing all over the world.” This is, of course, especially timely considering the implementation of EU regulations regarding decibel levels. North American orchestras seem to be dealing with it on their own for now.
The site has a hearing test, loads of facts about hearing loss and a video of the Vienna Philharmonic as it would sound if you were hard of hearing. To Miss Mussel’s ears, it sounded as if the Wieners were underwater. There was a refreshing absence of piccolo. Of course, if this were a permanent circumstance, it is possible that one might yearn for the sweet tweet of quite possibly the most annoying instrument in the world. Particularly when they practice in a green room full of people minutes before the concert.
Despite not actually having ears, if we’re going to get right down to it, Miss Mussel managed to score “adequate hearing” on the test. Is this the highest rating or is exceptional a class that is now out of Miss Mussel’s reach?
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