Sensory Deprivation - AJ Roberts

Muffled

For this project, I decided to experiment with the loss of communication. Not too sure how I can really document such events but ill try with the overall experience and what happened. So for 5 hours, I restricted myself from speaking whatsoever. Not just by choosing not to speak but by physically silencing myself with tape.  It's strange to think how a loss of such a sense can hinder you so much. I would try to interact with my family, ask when dinner was ready, how their day had been. All without making a single word, sure I'd make a few muffled attempts. However, I had to rely on mostly my expression and what it conveyed, as well as hand gestures.

The restriction while not necessarily heightening my other senses, forced me to operate in a way or ways that were alien to myself. To dabble in new ways of communicating, to emote, to get peoples attention as well as get them to understand what I was trying to get across. It also gave me this sense of helplessness, If one was born this way I understand they would have found ways to compensate. However, if say you were to suddenly loose speech you would have to learn a completely new language in a way. Everything you once knew would have to change. Even after I removed that restriction it would feel strange when I spoke, I would stumble and tremble through my words a bit, my mouth felt numb. And I'm sure I would learn far more if I were to go even longer without speaking.