Infrasonic tones in theatrical design: transgressive vibrations towards an aural dramaturgy for all

Abstract

ABSTRACTInfrasonic tones are surprisingly transgressive. Defined for our purposes as pitches at or below the threshold of 220 Hz, infrasonic tones are so low that we are not usually aware we are hearing them. When thinking about what ‘sounds good’, designers rely on assumptions about sound and what it means to hear. One primary presupposition reigns: hearing is conducted solely with the ears. This construct places infrasonic tones and D/deaf and hard of hearing theatregoers outside the sound design. However research into audience reception and infrasonic noise pollution shows that, while we do not ‘hear’ them in the traditional sense, they do resound in the body. Via a case study of Tom Gibbons’ design for Abrahami’s production of Happy Days, we argue that infrasonic tones draw attention to individual, embodied perception of sound design dramaturgy. Drawing on interviews with D/deaf artists from The Deaf and Hearing Ensemble and Graeae, we propose that infrasonic tones open up sound design aesthetically and dramaturgically to D/deaf, hearing and hard of hearing receivers. Infrasonic tones reach the body outside the traditional hearing framework, unlocking universally accessible sound design that challenges how we attend and perceive the sounds (or noises) that constitute ‘good’ sound design.