Hackney mayor Caroline Woodley opened the borough’s first hearing wellness festival on 6 March, calling for greater consideration for those affected by loud public spaces.
Founded by Marion Marincat, Sownd Affects festival addresses issues of noise sensitivity, aiming to create “hearing-friendly environments that everyone can enjoy”.
The festival’s main event took place at St Peter’s Church in De Beauvoir. The line-up included expert-led talks, interactive workshops and live music.
“We want to make Hackney a more friendly and accommodating place,” Ms Woodley said during her opening speech.
She told Marincat: “We will support you through Hackney Council as best as we can.”
Ms Woodley highlighted the current lack of infrastructure for noise-sensitive people. “We always want to have that whole family approach in Hackney, and yet so often we fail people,” she said. “I had no idea, for example, that we were failing people with hearing impairments.”
In an interview with Sownd Affects, Ms Woodley said: “I’m very aware of the sensory and hyper-sensitivity issues that shut some children and young people out of places, but adults too. And I think most of us can relate to that. Going to department stores or leisure centres, sometimes the music makes you uncomfortable and uneasy, and then you think about how that could be 10 times harder for some people.”
“Boroughs like hackney, they are noisy, and you have to have places that offer respite, and you have to feel like you belong.”
“Boroughs like Hackney, they are noisy, and you have to have places that offer respite, and you have to feel like you belong.”
Four Hackney venues will receive audio-inclusivity enhancements. Their operators attended the event and confirmed they would take part in the upgrades, which will be carried out by Sownd Affects and their partners, Oscar Acoustics.
Manon Coquoz is a student journalist at City, University of London.