According to Jacques Lacan, the defenseless ear is
the "only orifice which the field of consciousness cannot
shut off". As an organ closely related to the brain, it
not only perceives the ambient sounds but also influences
the spatio-temporal perceptions which control our sense
of equilibrium. It is obvious that the interposition of
technology with such a vital organ will permit an expansion
of senses, but might also trigger a sense of destabilisation
and confusion. As Friedrich Kittler has noticed: "In our
times, when it is technically possible to explode the ear,
the story of the ear more and more becomes a story of madness".
Yukiko
Shikata, exh. cat. Montreal 1999
