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Autism And The City: A Sonic Diary, Rebekah Ubuntu, UK 2021, 11 min. 27 sec.
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The sonic diary of a London artist with autism illuminates their struggle to overcome auditory overwhelm and rekindle love for the city’s rich soundscapes.
For this project I wanted to explore intentional listening through the prism of my experience as a person recently diagnosed with autism. Prior to my diagnosis my relationship with the ambient sound of urban London consisted mainly of managing my auditory overwhelm. Since keeping a ‘sonic diary’ to document my auditory experiences I better understand the impact that sonic landscapes have on my neurodivergence, which, in turn, has opened me up to listening possibilities I never knew existed.
Field recordings and fleeting sounds bring my daily aural experiences to life painting an intimate portrait of ephemeral sonic moments that I hope will encourage listeners to become more aware of their own auditory journeys and, in so doing, to appreciate the uniqueness of the listening experience across all neurodivergent spectrums.
For this project I wanted to explore intentional listening through the prism of my experience as a person recently diagnosed with autism. Prior to my diagnosis my relationship with the ambient sound of urban London consisted mainly of managing my auditory overwhelm. Since keeping a ‘sonic diary’ to document my auditory experiences I better understand the impact that sonic landscapes have on my neurodivergence, which, in turn, has opened me up to listening possibilities I never knew existed.
Field recordings and fleeting sounds bring my daily aural experiences to life painting an intimate portrait of ephemeral sonic moments that I hope will encourage listeners to become more aware of their own auditory journeys and, in so doing, to appreciate the uniqueness of the listening experience across all neurodivergent spectrums.
Credits
no. 236848.