We have an addiction right now to overstimulation and noise is a big part of that. I think if we were to try to imagine a sonic pyramid of what might be healthy, that large, large portions of quiet in the course of our day would be seen as something really beneficial. You need to find 20 minutes a day where you go and you sit in quiet. But we also need to make those options more available and more obvious in our urban fabric.
As decibel levels continue to rise, threatening human existence we turn to two listening experts for help. George Prochnik and George Foy both investigate listening, silence and noise.