October 7, 2024 at 7:00 am
The winners of the Sound Off art competition 2024 were announced at the 7th International Conference on Hyperacusis and Misophonia in Warsaw, September 2024.
The Sound Off art competition in 2024 was organised by Hashir International Institute 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. To learn about the next Sound Off competition email us at admin@hashirtinnitusclinic.com
Winners are as below:
1st award: Ashleigh Barker (UK)
2nd Award (joint award): Shohred Pakdaman (Iran)
2nd Award (joint award): Nicolle Cure (USA)
3rd Award: Francine Luce-Lakhan (UK)
4th Award: Urmi Roy (India)
5th Award: Eleanor Pontè (UK)
6th Award: Satu Turunen-Taheri (Sweden)
Artworks and relevant descriptions:
Name of artwork: The sounds of sirens
Artist: Ashleigh Barker
Age: 19
Country of residence: United Kingdom
Explanation or description of the artwork. What inspired the work and what it means to the artist.
I have created a photograph of the artwork which I created whilst listening to sirens and then overlayed multiple images of myself in different emotions/ stages I go through when listening to sirens.
Artist’s personal relationship to misophonia, hyperacusis or tinnitus.
I suffer from misophonia/hyperacusis, so I created this piece to express that
Name of artwork: The edge of silence
Artist: Shohreh Pakdaman
Age: 45
Country of residence: Iran
Explanation or description of the artwork. What inspired the work and what it means to the artist.
I started out with a simple sketch based on my own inner sense of how much sounds can be multiplied and intensified in my head. There is a boundary between my safe zone and the intolerable which is “the edge of silence”.
I cannot tolerate the busy places and noisy environments. My vision, my taste, and my awareness will be affected by noise, and I get angry. In this effect, the cage is to convey my sense of limitation, the boundary, the edge. I have illustrated the loudness of sounds with the figures of many ear lobes in my head. Each ear added is a representation of the sounds being perceived louder (e.g., 10 ears means that I hear 10 times louder). When I feel my anger, I tend to think about things which bring me peace. This may help me to control my anger from all that noise. The flower is a symbol of peace. It is alive and beautiful and makes me feel calm and they are not harmful. I wanted to use butterflies in my painting too because of the softness of butterfly fluttering is the most beautiful movement for me. However, I felt, the butterfly may not show my true inner sense in this picture. I have inspired by a Persian poet (Rahi), who says; The ear that has heard lots of advice become reluctant to hear more.
Artist’s personal relationship to misophonia, hyperacusis or tinnitus.
I have hyperacusis.
Name of artwork: Pastel Indigo
Artist: Nicolle Cure
Age: 41
Country of residence: United States
Explanation or description of the artwork. What inspired the work and what it means to the artist.
Through this artwork titled “Pastel Indigo,” my aim is for viewers, whether sufferers of Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, or Misophonia or not, to perceive the subtleties of these conditions, which offer us numerous lessons. Since 2017, these conditions have marked my life with constant challenges, but they have also strengthened my spirit and illuminated my art, turning adversity into an endless source of inspiration. “Pastel Indigo” is a poetic piece that reflects my vision of how sound manifests in various ways and at different stages of the onset and progression of these conditions. Through multiple layers of translucent acrylic paint and superimposed elements like curved lines and other accents drawn in graphite and oil pastel, I attempt to illustrate the ebb and flow of life, the ups and downs, the defeats, and the victories experienced by those who suffer from these conditions. It is my personal interpretation of sound in my life, the vibrations, the frequencies, and the moments of “silence” (represented by the blank spaces in the work). Through my art, I seek to transform suffering and bring more joy, encouraging us to see the good even in the most challenging, darkest, most frustrating, and exhausting moments. It is about pausing to observe beauty even as we live with these painful and annoying sounds and showing the incredible strength and resilience that sufferers of these conditions have acquired over time. After all that I have experienced and learned, I have discovered that although pain and loss are constant companions in my life, as in the lives of many, they also carry a hidden gift: the opportunity to find color, beauty, and purpose in the most unexpected corners of existence. This revelation, born from my own struggle with Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, and Misophonia, has shaped my perspective and work in a unique way and changed it for the better forever. This piece is a special celebration of our resilience and a call to be compassionate with ourselves and the world. It is the light and encouragement I desperately needed in many difficult times. I now want to bring this light and color to others suffering silently from “invisible” conditions like these.
Artist’s personal relationship to misophonia, hyperacusis or tinnitus.
In 2017, I experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss (in my right ear), which led to the diagnosis of various vestibular conditions, including Meniere’s disease and BPPV. This isolating, painful, yet transformative experience has inspired me to illustrate the intricate world of sound in a visual format, capturing the essence of living with invisible conditions such as misophonia, hyperacusis, and tinnitus. Through my artwork and advocacy work, I aim to convey the challenges faced by individuals like myself, shedding light on the impact of sound sensitivity on daily life. Participating in the competition would allow me to share my unique perspective on living with these conditions, especially tinnitus and hyperacusis, and offer an opportunity to contribute to the broader discourse on sensory conditions. Art has the power to raise awareness and foster understanding, of being and feeling “seen,” and I am eager to be a part of this impactful initiative. The prospect of exhibiting my work at the 7th International Conference on Hyperacusis and Misophonia in Warsaw is truly inspiring and humbling. Thank you for providing a platform for individuals like me to share our stories and views through the beautiful language of art.
Name of artwork: You and Me
Artist: Francine Luce-Lakhan
Age: 64
Country of residence: UK
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 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 my hearing condition makes me feel at times, especially during the sudden spikes and changes of the tinnitus which I tried to visually show with the grey/black curved line coming from the cloud, reaching my centre. This illustration is about my battles mainly with the tinnitus. But the more I drew, the more I realised that it was about so much more.
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 – My healing journey with my condition and myself – My belief in a valuable reason of my heartaches – The suffering and the pain I had to feel and overcome; and the ones of today – My hope – My spiritual being and beliefs – My roots with the presence of my ancestors in Purple who out of the blue, magically appeared on my piece of paper; at first being unaware that I was drawing them …As I said before my deeper self knows – My letting go and cutting the cord of the vicious cycle of repetitions.
What inspired me to draw is my story. Also, my years of learning about my hearing condition and all the work I did on myself. My present awareness of how and why tinnitus emotionally affected me and still affects me. 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.
I am amazed to say that while drawing, more healing took place with additional realisations and revelations in my mind and heart. -Believing even more that despite of my daily challenges, my passion for music, my gift, my talent will never die and I will always be the singer that I am, who I always been and always will be, joyfully 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. -Revisiting how my condition with tinnitus, hyperacusis, phonophobia has been my teachers, giving me another chance to come to term with my childhood trauma around noise. -Being relieved to see clearly the colours of my inheritance from my father who had tinnitus and hyperacusis, with no longer a desire to hide it. -Experiencing such satisfaction to have drawn my roots strong, re-nourishing them to no longer dictate my emotional reaction to tinnitus, where my powerful, useful CBT course takes its anker. -And most of all feeling closer to acceptance.
Acceptance, the key to open the door of the beginning of my new journey. At the bottom of my drawing, the grey cloud is fading away. I can recall what my inner voice whispered to me when I was questioning myself with: Why did I draw the cloud on the corner smaller? It said: “Here you are! Yes, you must be smaller!” And, as I trusted what I was drawing, it became smaller and smaller. Seven sizes, aimed at seven days a week, for the tiny one to give space to the bright yellow Sunday sunlight to shy, marking the end of my battle, letting go, re-designing my hope for my tomorrows, where from now on the grey cloud will only belong to where I was, where I existed, once. Pure joy came all over me when I realised that the space where I added my initial FL for Francine Luce, my artist’s name; was meant to be as it wonderfully illustrating the end of my poem “I am me and always will be.” I saw clearly that not only my drawing was about my journey through my past, my here and now, but also through my aim for my future. I realised how optimistic I was when I looked again at my use of the colour yellow, for the sun, its rays and universal light, and said to myself “Well! I am certainly closer to happiness then I think I am!” and gladly added the colour orange to symbolise my creativity, all around my initial and in between the clouds fading away, unfortunately not clearly visible on my picture.
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 participate to this project, taking by surprise to sense the colours under my fingers, about to give life to some layers of my dark, bright years. I 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. My husband’s support to send the drawing and my friend’s heartful comments after seeing my creation added more meaning to my intentions to share. I also felt inspired to follow my calling when I received the link for submission from Rebecca after we spontaneously shared and looked at my art work while doing our zoom session.
Artist’s personal relationship to misophonia, hyperacusis or tinnitus.
I find this topic profound and I will do my best to reply. The first thing that comes to mind to say, is that I have a co-dependent relationship with tinnitus. I am surprising myself to write this, as I never had said it so clearly before. I do not want the condition but I can still look for it when it is not bothering me, continue to think about it after achieving successes, stopping myself to do all the things I want to do because of it, or having unrealistic expectations from it.
With more time to reflect, I want to answer your question by a question which is: 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; within me. A constant duality: “the You and the Me”, which at times coexist inside me as an ongoing conflict that triggers intense, strong emotions; particularly when I identify myself to it and lose the sense of self. Me being a singer, passionate about music makes this interaction even more complex. In that respect, I could describe my relationship with tinnitus by the way I feel about it, the way I relate to it and how I interact with it.
Over the years, considerable changes occurred, from having a manageable tinnitus being able to live my daily life well, perform and travel; until the hyperacusis and tinnitus got worse. And from there, my whole world gradually went upside down, having to learn from scratch to no longer live with silence; when silence had always been my mentor as music always starts from silence! My relationship with the tinnitus became a toxic one; being annoyed, scared, irritated, impatient, desperate, frustrated. I felt useless, powerless and sad, with heartaches so many moments of my days, my months, my years. I hated the tinnitus and hyperacusis so much, as they both gave me limitations in my job and then ended up hated myself too as I was unable to do the one thing I always did, painfully losing my sense of self as if I could no longer breathe, music always been my oxygen. I related with my condition with resentment. I build an invisible wall against myself where my fears of getting worse turned me away from doing what I love the most. Also, being told many times that there was nothing I could do, I believed that I had no control over it and always kept: “I can’t!” in the back of my mind for so many years.
Today, I am still on my journey! Where change is still occurring but in a different way, toward a different direction; reinforcing my belief: “I can!” Learning slowly, surely to use the valuable tools I have learnt, to live life, to live my life again. Still a long way to go but I am more able to smile despite of tinnitus. I have worked on myself for so long, I have learned so much about my condition and my emotional reactions especially during my CBT course with Hashir Clinic; my realisation, my understanding set me up in a better place to begin to establish a new relationship with tinnitus; from being toxic to become steadier, more harmonious I would say. This, not because it does not bother me as I believe it always will somehow. Tinnitus is not an easy condition to live with, especially as a musician. But to bring acceptance more on the surface.
Every day, I sense myself as being in a constant emotional and mental adjustment. For example, when I must use my counter statements; when I feel the need to keep calm, not to avoid but because I know that stress does trigger tinnitus; when I talk to it: “I know you there, but I am going to do what I have to do!” It feels as if it will never stop… Living with tinnitus and hyperacusis is so challenging, and can be do tiring; but despite of it, my emotions and my reactions are more balanced, less chaotic less extreme; where the distance between the ups and downs has decreased; where my desperation during spikes has become less intense; where I find the strength to take my power back with more awareness, determination and wisdom; where I manage to be gentle with myself, grateful for what I can do and perceive tinnitus as my teacher.
I realise that it is also important for me to acknowledge more that I have a reactive tinnitus; and that its sudden changes and spikes are the ones that do bother me the most, rather than the tinnitus itself. Effectively, I am more sensitive to certain sounds then others and in that respect, the way I feel, I relate and interact to tinnitus will vary depending on what I hear. It is also important for me to keep in mind that being at peace with myself supports me to be at peace with the tinnitus, whatever it sounds like.
Going back to my spontaneous first answer; even though to use the word relationship is still not fully clear for me; I want to conclude, acknowledging my past, my awareness of my present, my hope for my future and say: I have a co-dependent relationship with tinnitus on the move to become an independent relationship: Living my life despite off! And what is the point to live life, if not to live it well!
Name of artwork: Hope amongst chaos
Artist: Urmi Roy
Age: 25
Country of residence: India
Explanation or description of the artwork. What inspired the work and what it means to the artist.
In my artwork, I have shown a girl screaming, because of the ever companion bell ringing sound- tinnitus. The distress, anger, frustration she experiences every day, is visible in the expression. But amongst all the chaos and distress, rays of hope, in the shape of bubbles rise. Here each bubble represents the different remedies for tinnitus, such as hearing aid which can be used as a sound generator, cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, and counselled which lets her find the peace within, she is also seen to enjoy the serene sounds of waves as sound therapy. Meditation, mindfulness and overall, a healthy lifestyle helps in improving the condition of tinnitus.
Artist’s personal relationship to misophonia, hyperacusis or tinnitus.
I’m an audiology masters student studying in all India institute of speech and hearing in Mysore, India. I had my clinical conference on the topic of Usefulness of audiologist given CBT for patients suffering from tinnitus under the guidance of Dr. Prashanth Prabhu and my current dissertation is targeted on misophonia group
Name of artwork: From earth to sound … living with Tinnitus
Artist: Eleanor Ponté
Age: 23
Country of residence: England
Explanation or description of the artwork. What inspired the work and what it means to the artist.
This illustration is about living with tinnitus. I have tinnitus and I know it will never go away. When it first came, I would freeze, in my room, alone and it would be terrifying. However, I have found immense relief and comfort from it whilst being alone in nature. I can now bring this sense of calm into the rest of my life with tinnitus. I discovered this sense of calm through going on long walks and doing yoga outside. I would go alone to give myself space to reflect and to walk in silence. Most of the time it would ground me by making me feel the earth beneath my feet and the wind on my face. Often, I would go for a swim and put my head underwater which is usually scary as it removes all other noises and all I can hear is the tin like hissing, however constant exposure in an intentional way helped me come to terms with my tinnitus. Before coping with tinnitus, I would hate to be on my own, alone with my quiet thoughts with the tin like noise hissing in my ears. However now I take huge comfort in the fact that I can spend time, without music or distractions to sit with my tinnitus and feel grounded and happy. Furthermore, I can use this experience when my tinnitus loudens, and it will always help balance me through the constant fluctuations of busy life. In this image I have added T’s into the trees and ground to show tinnitus is always around me. It has been very difficult to understand and cope with, however ultimately it has helped me deal with my emotions, as I can bring the skills I have learnt through having tinnitus into the rest of my life. 30 x 42cm Multimedia: chalk pastels, oil pastels and pencil on cartridge paper
Artist’s personal relationship to misophonia, hyperacusis or tinnitus.
I developed mild Tinnitus in 2017, after a pair of speakers blew at a friend’s party. I have had some general counselling, however my main method of coping with tinnitus was yoga, meditation, walking and exposure. Spending time alone in quiet places where I could hear it, so I would not be so affected by it in uncertain moments, such as when I arrive home after a noisy day or party and it’s louder. I now live side by side with my Tinnitus and take precautions to prevent it from worsening. I am happy to say it has not negatively affected me in many years now, and I use my coping methods and strengths in positive ways in other areas in my life.
Name of artwork: Tinnitus and Hyperacusis
Artist: Satu Turunen-Taheri
Age: 62
Country of residence: Sweden
Explanation or description of the artwork. What inspired the work and what it means to the artist.
Many of my patients have tinnitus and hyperacusis, and I wanted to describe in a painting a bit of the feeling I got from my patients. However, it happens that even I sometimes bothered by tinnitus.
Artist’s personal relationship to misophonia, hyperacusis or tinnitus.
I have many patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis at the clinic where I work as an audiologist. I also sometimes have tinnitus by myself.
The artworks were judged by a panel which comprised three artists and two hearing scientists.
Hashir International Institute has several public projects comprising: (1) Health-related talks or exhibitions for public, (2) Become a solver, (3) Competitions and prizes, and (4) Action research. The general aim of our public projects is to provide opportunity for anyone regardless of their educational background or geographical location who thinks that they may have an idea that can help solving some of the problems related to understanding, assessing, or managing misophonia, tinnitus, and hyperacusis to assist scientists in creating feasible solutions. See this page for more information: https://hashirtinnitusclinic.com/public-involvement/
