The Sound Off art competition is a part of Hashir International Institute’s Public Involvement programme. Our Public Involvement programme comprises several initiatives: (1) Raising awareness projects, (2) Become a Solver, (3) Competitions and Prizes, and (4) Action Research. The Sound Off art competition in 2024 was organised in collaboration with the World Hearing Centre and the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing and the Institute of Sensory Organs and was sponsored by MED-EL. The aim of the Sound Off was to raise awareness about misophonia, tinnitus and hyperacusis. Artists from different countries took part in the competition by submitting their pieces of artwork that demonstrated the experience of living with misophonia, hyperacusis or tinnitus. In this section we showcase each artwork, description of the artwork, motivations/inspirations of the artist, and artist’s personal relationship to misophonia, hyperacusis or tinnitus.
Name of the Artist: Francine Luce-Lakhan
Age: 64
Country of residence: UK
Name of artwork: You and Me
Explanation or description of the artwork. What inspired the work and what it means to the artist.
“You and Me” is the title I first gave to the poem written on my drawing. This poem is about tinnitus, I wrote it years ago and it makes sense for me today to name the drawing the same, as its words had also fed my creativity and led me to hold my lovely colourful pastels one by one, in my right hand, to draw. To add more, the poem like the drawing came out of me when I least expected; both taking shape, making sense as I went along with the freedom of my self-expression, letting it be for what it was about to be, to then become what it was meant to be; tuning in with my inner secret world, the depth of my being, the one who knows. My drawing is a raw drawing I would say! Not a technically defined one, and I chose to leave it that way; raw like tinnitus or hyperacusis can be perceived at times, particularly during the unpredictable spikes of the tinnitus which I tried to visually show with the grey/black curved line coming from the cloud. This tapestry of words and images is about my challenges mainly with tinnitus. But the more I drew, the more I realised that it was about so much more. And I am amazed to say that while drawing, more healing took place with additional realisations and revelations in my mind and heart. The “You” of my poem is the tinnitus but the “You” in my drawing is also Life, its beauty -My love and commitment to music, embracing the presence of the green musical heart and notes on the branches of the tree expressing the purity of music and nature, where tinnitus does not enter – My healing journey, revisiting how my condition with tinnitus, hyperacusis have been my teachers – My belief in a valuable reason for everything that occur in our lives – The challenges I had to feel to then overcome – The ground where I, we stand, experiencing such satisfaction to have drawn some strong roots, where my powerful, useful CBT course with Hashir Clinic takes its anker – My hope – My spirituality and beliefs – My step closer to acceptance where at the bottom of my drawing, the grey cloud is fading away becoming a tiny one to give space to more bright yellow sunlight, universal light to shy.
What inspired me to draw is my story. My years of learning. My knowledge and awareness of the impact that tinnitus can hold. My belief in the power of choice and that no matter what, we ought to turn to the light despite of the presence of darkness. My hope for the sun on a rainy day. And most of all, my curiosity and enthusiasm to make visible what is invisible.
To draw my journey with tinnitus has been a journey in itself; and I want to go back to the very beginning to add that my inspiration also came from the very first moment I laid my eyes on the Sound Off advert when I just felt drawn to take part, captivating to unexpectedly sense the colours under my fingers, about to give birth to something I have never done before. I also felt moved to have been given an opportunity to revisit the importance of sharing something so personal, but in such a beautiful way, where I could be me, creative.
Artist’s personal relationship to misophonia, hyperacusis or tinnitus.
One question comes to mind: How can I have a relationship with something that I do not want? I suppose I have a relationship with tinnitus by the simple fact that I have no any other choice than to live with it. Wherever I go, whatever I do, it is there! A persistent duality: ‘the You and the Me’ that coexists within. The complexity of the condition itself plus the emotional impact that it can have on the individual make this relationship even more intense.
Over time, changes occurred, from having a manageable tinnitus until my whole world gradually turned upside down, having to learn from scratch to no longer live with silence; when silence had always been my mentor: ‘Music always starts from silence!’ We always have to go through different phases in life, haven’t we! Everything is in movements, never stay the same, even though there will always be a tomorrow. From being conflicting, my relationship with tinnitus keeps evolving one step at a time, being more at peace I would say; where ‘to live despite off’ developed into ‘to live with’; the final step being ‘to live well with’. Effectively, what is the point to live life, if not to live it well: ‘You are you, Me is me!’
