E(15) S(2) of Feminist Sonic Futures: Sound Is...Vibration!!!

Hello everyone! My name is Ariana Zwern and I am a student in MUSC 1240S! This is Episode 15 Season 2 of our podcast Feminist Sonic Futures. In this episode, I discuss the genesis of sound through vibration and the possibilities for assistive technologies made legible by attending to this process. I argue that when we scrape what we think we know about sound and consider how it operates at a physical level - as vibrations - we discover new possibilities for constructing and interpreting soundscapes that can uplift the disabled and improve their quality of life through technologies that seek adaptive rather than curative responses to disability.  I first briefly discuss the production of sound through vibration. Then I discuss the ways that sound can be made accessible to the deaf using technologies that represent or transmit vibrations in novel ways. In particular, I discuss the work of Christine Sun Kim and the application of similar ideas to the development of Vibrotextile™.  Finally, I discuss how vibration can likewise be used to help the blind to safely engage their surroundings through technology such as STRAP and SUNU, and the implications of VR technology for improving the immersive capacity of this equipment. In this episode, I engage the following academic sources:  1. Siting Sound: Redistributing the Senses in Christine Sun Kim, by Michael Davidson 2. Sound and Player Immersion in Digital Games by Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard 3. Virtual Reality, Disability, and Futurity Cripping Technologies in Half-Life: Alyx by Adan Jerreat-Poole I also reference, include clips from, and/or quote the following sources: 1. Batman Technology: Using Sonar for Human Navigation https://lighthouseguild.org/sonar-and-lidar-technologies-for-obstacle-detection/ 2. Echolocation could help blind people learn to navigate like bats https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/28/echolocation-could-help-blind-people-learn-to-navigate-like-bats 3. Mandy Harvey - A Music: Not Impossible Help One, Help Many Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz_uyHnaBOE 4. Not Impossible Labs, Zappos Hope to Make Concerts More Accessible for the Deaf — and Cooler for Everyone https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/not-impossible-labs-live-music-deaf-8476553/ 5. Brains of deaf people rewire to ‘hear’ music https://www.washington.edu/news/2001/11/27/brains-of-deaf-people-rewire-to-hear-music/ 6. Music: Not Impossible Provides a Glimpse Into the Future of Music https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/music-not-impossible-provides-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-music-300718746.html 7. Vibrating suit allows deaf people to 'feel' music https://www.cnn.com/style/article/chase-burton-vibrating-suit-spc-intl/index.html 8. Music Not Impossible Website  https://www.notimpossible.com/projects/music-not-impossible