Listening Bodies – Tact, Pain and Urban Accessibility

This paper examines characteristics from the dimensions of touch and discomfort or pain (nociception) that the sonic ambiance produces in our bodies when we navigate the spaces we inhabit. Based on an ongoing research investigating alternative conceptions to urban accessibility and diversely functional bodies, we argue for the inclusion of the tactile and discomfort aspects of sound as actors shaping the experience of our everyday spaces. We bring the focus on the physical perception of the sonic ambiance, from tact to transduction, listening through the body and its vibration. We investigate how this full body tactile experience, that at times and for some individuals can be an unpleasant experience, may unlock another perception on urban accessibility that goes beyond basic safeguarding measures. Using an ethnographic approach, we examine the relationship that deaf-blind and blind or partially sighted people establish with the ambiance in everyday life and the role the sonic ambiance adopts when they navigate the space in the city (both in terms of route and rhythm). We argue the tactile and pain dimensions of sound are an important element in the making of place for blind and deaf-blind individuals. They intervene on aspects of their spatial orientation but also of their connection to their emotions in and towards the space they navigate, deeply shaping their relationship to the city they inhabit and thus their making of place. This paper presents the initial diagnostic of two collectives on aspects of the layout of accessible spaces in Barcelona, their actual use or ‘misuse’ by individuals in these two collectives, reflecting on the sonic ambiance and the practice of listening, even when being deaf-blind. We conclude by highlighting the importance of rethinking listening as a tactile, emotional and, at times (both in terms of nosiception but emotionally), painful practice.