Biddy Connor, an extraordinarily gifted artist and emerging designer from Melbourne, experienced a devastating life obstacle. Then, just weeks before beginning chemotherapy, she was diagnosed with cancer in 2020. Her emotional experience as a new caregiver and diagnosis motivated her inquiry into the unique acoustics of the medical atmosphere enveloping her. While receiving treatment, Connor was mesmerized by the beeping sound of the intravenous (IV) machines. These machines were constantly pumping fluids into her body. It was her curiosity that pushed her to document those sounds. This process ultimately led to the development of her new song-cycle, “Song To The Cell.”
Connor refers to her experience with chemotherapy as intimidating but educational. On the first day of her treatment, she was terrified and didn’t know what to expect. The ambiance was a medical cacophony, with the sounds of physical, emotional, and trauma patients all converging and warping the auditory landscape. She stated, “I didn’t know what to expect so I was scared. I was in a room with six other people and they all had their sounds as well as their nurses talking to them.”
As her hearing returned and she continued to go through treatment, Connor discovered comfort in the sounds surrounding her. To help cope, she filmed the IV machines in between her treatment sessions. What most would regard as annoying sounds transformed into profound aesthetics in her dexterous touch. She explained, “On my first day of chemo, as soon as the nurse walked away, I put my phone on top of the IV machine to record it. It was my way of coping with what was happening.”
The Artistic Transformation of Medical Sounds
The needles are re-imagined instruments, featured in Biddy Connor’s innovative project, “Song To The Cell,” where IV machines are used alongside her intricate vocal performances. This rare alchemy gives her the ability to seek out the beauty in sounds that most people don’t even realize exist or have been conditioned to find alarming. Connor shared her artistic philosophy, stating, “I enjoy really challenging sounds, but I love the release from them into beauty.”
Her work invites us to listen with fresh ears to the sounds of everyday life, especially those that surround us in medical spaces. As Tamara Saulwick, artistic director of Chamber Made—a Melbourne-based group specializing in sound art—notes, “In some cases, these artists are revealing the poetry in everyday technological sounds.” Saulwick emphasizes the importance of intentional listening: “It’s the intentionality and the focus with which we attend to the listening act that’s critical.”
The idea of sound as a tool for healing runs throughout Connor’s practice. She dreams that by opening up her own journey to new sounds, people will learn to hear the world in a richer way. “I hope it helps people to listen more to what’s going on around them,” she shared.
Exploring New Soundscapes
So bold and powerful as Connor’s work is, he doesn’t stand alone. As more artists experiment with sound art, technology is being harnessed to create evocative experiences. Aviva Endean employs binaural recording techniques that reproduce the experience of hearing as humans physically do. This leads to an incredibly intimate listening experience that you can really only enjoy with headphones. Endean explained, “Binaural recording uses microphones placed in the same position as our ears. Without the headphones on, you wouldn’t hear anything at all because it would be so quiet.”
Monica Lim’s installation, “Chit + Chat,” takes this intersection of sound and technology a step closer into the world of contemporary art.… Lim’s work includes interactive chatbots inside water-cooler machines. It opens up audiences to experiencing the beauty of everyday sounds in a new and uplifting light. She poses an intriguing question about the future of sound: “What happens when the workers are replaced by machines that listen?”
These artistic efforts are part of an emerging movement in which artists are creating unexpected aural experiences that transform our perception of sound. As Dame Evelyn Glennie states, “Hearing is a medical condition, whereas listening is an act of choice.” This way of looking at the world pushes audiences to consider how they can interact with their environments and discover significance within them.
The Impact of Sound Art
Biddy Connor’s sonic pilgrimage is a beautiful example of how sound can be employed as both a tool for healing and a canvas for creativity. In accepting the ambient noise of her condition, she’s been able to alchemize a personal struggle into something deeply magnificent. The artistry behind her extraordinary project prompts listeners to rethink their assumptions about sound and its place in everyday life.
