A new film documentary created by College of Architecture & the Built Environment (CABE) faculty members Severino Alfonso and Loukia Tsafoulia will be featured in conjunction with their immersive installation Echoes this month at #ReSilence, an international exhibition at BASE in Milan, Italy which explores how sound shapes urban life.
Their documentary “Voices: Listeners in the Noise. Autism as an Agent for Urban Sound Experiences” shares first-hand narratives from autistic individuals about their sensory experiences in cities, ranging from the overwhelming impact of sirens and traffic to moments of calm found in birdsong or creative expression. The project was created to help raise awareness of how soundscapes affect autistic and neurodiverse individuals, while highlighting Jefferson-led research aimed at designing more inclusive urban environments.
“The voices of our participants reveal both the challenges and the possibilities of cities,” said Tsafoulia, associate professor of architecture. “By listening carefully, we can design environments that are more accessible, compassionate and human.”
Those interviews will also be analyzed as part of an interdisciplinary research initiative led by Tsafoulia and Alfonso in collaboration with College of Population Health public-health program director Rosemary Frasso and her team members Quinn Plunkett and Julia Scott. That effort merges expertise in design, technology, art and healthcare with a mission of developing actionable insights for planners, designers, and policymakers seeking to make cities more autism-friendly. Also contributing to the effort are Dr. Wendy Ross – director of the Jefferson Center for Autism & Neurodiversity – and CABE’s Rachel Updegrove and Shannon McLain.
