COMPOSING THE TINNITUS SUITES: 2015 D
INSTALLATION / MUSICAL PERFORMANCE / SCULPTURE / RESEARCH, 2015
DANIEL FISHKIN (US)
Composing the Tinnitus Suites: 2015 d is an ongoing composition by Daniel Fishkin that investigates the aesthetics of hearing damage through the installation of his room-sized long-string instrument, Lady’s Harp. Daniel suffers from tinnitus — a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears — which is commonly caused by exposure to loud noises. In noise-induced hearing loss, overstimulation of the apparatus in the ear can lead to oxidative stress and cell death in the inner ear’s hair cells, interfering with the brain’s ability to send and receive signals that we interpret as sound. While this explains why hearing is compromised, it does not explain tinnitus, the presence of sound without acoustic origin.
During a residency in 2011, Daniel created a system of tensioned twenty-foot long piano wires activated by mixer feedback; the strings could sustain, or vibrate, infinitely using guitar pickups and pressure transducers to coax the wires into vibration. It was dubbed ‘Lady’s Harp’, named in tribute for Ellen Fullman, Maryanne Amacher, and the ancient Greek Aeolian harp, whose strings are set into vibration by the wind. Daniel has since made five iterations of Lady’s Harp, each of which set the stage for a space where tinnitus can thrive rather than distract.
(Photo credit: Samuel Lang Budin)
BIO:
Daniel Fishkin’s ears are ringing. Composer, sound artist, and instrument builder. Completely ambivalent about music. Daniel studied with composer Maryanne Amacher and with multi-instrumentalist Mark Stewart. He has performed as a soloist on modular synthesiser with the American Symphony Orchestra, developed sound installations in freight elevators and abandoned concert halls, and played innumerable basement punk shows. Daniel’s lifework investigating the aesthetics of hearing damage has received international press (Nature); as an ally in the search for a cure, he has been awarded the title of Tinnitus Ambassador by the Deutsche Tinnitus-Stiftung. Daniel received his M.A. in Music Composition from Wesleyan University, and currently teaches courses in analogue synthesis at Bard College.