Acoustic exposure, fire and belonging.

Abstract

In Catalunya, devils are people belonging to Colla (a group partaking in fire and drumming street performances) that carry and dance with fireworks and firecrackers at the end of a wooden stick. A Correfoc is a fire performance where people dressed as devils run around and dance on the streets with fireworks followed by a band of drummers. All together creates a temporarily very loud and visually attractive ambience. Like a very loud and rhytmical ball of fire passing through a street. Firecrackers and fireworks whistling and exploding produce very loud sounds, sometimes reaching 175dB. The sonic intensity of these performances has to do both with the sound emanating from the fireworks and drums, and the reverberation the streets of Barcelona can create. Many devils are part of a Colla for decades, thus exposing their hearing to extreme levels of sound several times a year, and in peak season, several times a week. This results in devils having varying levels of aural diversity and their health being negatively impacted by the sound they willingly expose themselves to. These aural diversity is worn as a kind of "badge of belonging" and commitment to the Colla. This paper examines the intricacy behind this sense of belonging and the reasons why the health impacts do not seem to deter participation in Correfocs. It also examines why are fireworks producers keeping their product so loud. It concludes proposing an aurally sustainable approach to partaking in this inherent element of Catalan popular culture.