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Page last updated at 10:11 GMT, Tuesday, 20 March 2012

The noisiness of sound

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The play Noise, to be broadcast on The Afternoon Play on Radio 4, is based around a character who is constantly threatened by noises she can't make sense of.

It is written by playwright Alex Bulmer who is blind and understands how daunting unidentifiable sounds can be.

She realised how different her perception of sound is in comparison to people who have their sight.

Alex told the Today programme's Justin Webb that the central character, Kit, develops a hyper sensitivity to sounds as a result of severe hypothermia.

She described how "every sound is a noise" if you can not attach a meaning to it and do not know what it represents.

But she said that "at worst noise and sound can be disorientating but at best they can be a tool". going on to explain that the "organised sounds" of her neighbourhood has helped her to find her way around through recognising the sounds of her environment.


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