How the eerie sound of tinnitus became art for Daniel Fishkin

Musician Daniel Fishkin, a Bala Cynwyd native, was working on his first thesis recital one day in 2008 when, all of a sudden, his ears started ringing.
And they just never stopped ringing.
While tinnitus is a common affliction for musicians, the often-minor symptom was the beginning of a painful period for Fishkin essentially transforming his life experience.
“I found myself in this double bind where loud sounds were very painful, but if I shielded myself from loud noises I was reminded of my hearing damage constantly,” Fishkin told Technical.ly.
The constant manifestation of the condition, accompanied by the social experience of living with tinnitus, led him to kick off a series of installations called Composing the Tinnitus Suites. Essentially, the series is an attempt at exteriorizing the experience of living with tinnitus in art form.
In 2016, the series is coming to Philly as part of the Fringe Arts Festival, in a trio of collaborative performances with local artists.
And at the center of Composing the Tinnitus Suites: 2016 is a curious creation called the Lady’s Harp: a 20-foot-wide musical contraption built out of piano wire, guitar pickups and the feedback that emanates from a mixer board.
Here’s the artist himself explaining the concept behind the Lady’s Harp from the 2015 installment of the series.

Composing the Tinnitus Suites: 2016 is supported by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage and is presented in partnership with Bowerbird. It takes place Friday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m.
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