Inspire Us Recipient Artwork

Inspire Us Recipient Artwork

Third Floor Artwork

Here is the artwork found on the third floor of our Cochlear Americas headquarters. Click on an image to see a larger version of that art.

This piece is an attempt to create a physical model from the most ephemeral element: sound.
Sound and hearing are ephemeral and transient. For Caroline, her cochlear implant made sound again.
Whenever we have a conversation about hearing (daily) we use a 3D printed cochlea as a demonstration aid. We gift the cochlea, so people can have a sense of how everything about hearing is small, except the impact.
This piece extends both the educational and artistic nature of sound.
This illustrates the location of each word-part (phonemes).
The 3D printed spectrogram is a snapshot of the entire 1.85 second
“Hear now. And always”
Time runs left to right (just like reading). High frequencies are at the top, of the image, low frequencies at the bottom. Brighter is louder. For the sculpture, brighter is higher, ergo higher is louder.

Andreas S.

Edmonton, Alberta - Canada

The model represents me who happens to have a Cochlea as a head and she is facing herself. The labyrinth is the time it takes to adjust to the new world of sound. Not only does this represent patience, persistence, and perseverance, this diptych also represents courage and strength.

Anina H.

Montrose, Colorado

The joy of sound is a key element to the full sensory experience in life. Musical notes, waves crashing, a baby cooing—each sound shades our perception of life around us. Once lost, the gift of hearing restoration becomes even more dear and precious.
Through the Cochlear Community I have been able to give back by mentoring new candidates and recent recipients in their journey to the wonders and joy of hearing and understanding.

Dick S.

Rancho Cordova, California

“Sounds of the city” was inspired by when I became a bilateral cochlear implant recipient in April 2019. The digital painting features the Denver skyline with N7 processors picking up the sounds of the city. I chose to leave the city without color fill so that it appears clear, a metaphor for hearing clearly now. I created this art piece entirely using an Android tablet & stylus. First, I took a photo of the city, brought it into a digital illustration app called, ArtFlow Studio, where
I traced the buildings by hand and applied highlights and shading with the airbrush tool. I applied a gradient for the sky and airbrushed the clouds, then I added the processors and speech balloons.
Thank you for providing this opportunity to recipients who are artists, and most of all, thanks for what you do to bring hearing clarity back for the deaf and hard of hearing. God bless.

Dietrich H.

Denver, Colorado

This was a gift to me from my sister-in-law. She’s seen my excitement and how my Cochlear implants have changed my life. She wanted to give me a special gift. All hand made. Created with love.

Elizabeth D.

St. Clair, Michigan

I had taken a photo of my devices when I was a bimodal user. I gave this painting to my audiologist as a thank you gift.

Emily C.

Lebanon, New Hampshire

Waves - What is that noise? The waves are crashing and it seems so loud. The ocean silently swells to do it again. Over and over, it crashes against golden sand almost like a beating drum. The beach is one of my favorite places to be. I realize that something so big could make a noise that is soothing to me. I could stare at it forever. Maybe I could? (Sigh) The salty sea, I could feel it, taste it, touch it and smell it. Then what was that last sense? Oh, I can hear it too? Wow. My brain finally connects the dots of where the sounds are coming from. Wait, I hear something new...a child’s laughter as he jumps over the waves. The higher he jumps the louder the laughter seem to be. It delights my heart to see small joys here. It seems so unreal that those sounds exist. It’s like we know there is an outer space far beyond what our naked eyes could see. It’s there, but you can’t see it until you’re physically there. What if we could “see” sounds? I know it is there but I want to see it because visual aid is my access to a hearing world. I imagine any time a movement makes a sound, it looks like it burst into tiny dots. The air pushes it into a current like a wave. It teaches my cochlear implant to translate like a Morse code into a beautiful sensation. Sound, it is a missing piece of puzzle for my 5th sense. I quickly appreciate what I have missed for so long. I love the beach but I especially love my child’s laughter more!

Erica G.

Jefferson, Georgia

I am fascinated by the shapes and materials of all the different cochlear implants and hearing aids I have owned. They are like beautiful little highly functional jewels and to me are a perfect blending of organic shape and man-made perfection. I made these mandala-style drawings of ink, paint and graphite to contemplate their beauty. This is a series of 6 separate drawings. I call them “Mandalas of Hearing.”

Janet M.

Bedford, Texas

This is a linoleum block print on rice paper, embellished with silver metallic paint. I made this print during the time after I received my first cochlear implant. I was envisioning sound whooshing like a river along my auditory nerve, spiraling through the cochlea. I used aqua ink and silver metallic paint to try and depict the cochlea as an opulent, visually rich environment.

Janet M.

Bedford, Texas

I created this diptych shortly after I received my first cochlear implant in 2006. It is a self-portrait of sorts, with my implanted and
un-implanted selves facing each other from different canvases. I like to think they look upon each other with acceptance and understanding that they are two halves of the same whole. I call this piece, “Turning a Deaf Ear.”

Janet M.

Bedford, Texas

I love birds, one of my favorites are the Macaws. When I lived in Caracas, Venezuela, (where my CI surgery and rehab took place) months after my activation, I remember hearing their call and being grateful with my bionic hearing.
I love to draw and paint sounds that I love.

Julia G.

Weston, Florida

I painted this watercolor at Wonderland Lake, a nature sanctuary near my home in North Boulder, as part of an invitation for all artists last summer to participate in a public art show in downtown Boulder. This painting was part of a public exhibit and I was the youngest artist in the gala, at 15 years old. The day I painted this watercolor was cold, and it was exciting for me to be part of a larger gathering of artists in Boulder. As I painted this scene, I was happy to hear the birds singing, and to feel the peace and serenity of the area unfold before my eyes.

Kalea Z.

Boulder, Colorado

Experiences and nature inspire me to capture the feelings evoked through photography. This is a photo taken of Madison Lake, in London, Ohio near my home.

Kay W.

London, Ohio

New sounds after having cochlear implant. I’m in awe, new sounds every day.“Music to my Ears”

Nancy S.

Leaf River, Illinois

I walk for exercise while listening to music on my iPhone. I have found hubcaps, golf balls, bottle caps and sprinkler pipes along my urban routes and turned those into caricature flowers I call “FIORI DELLA STRADA” or flowers of the road in English. Several of them are arranged in pieces of tree roots to contrast nature vs. industrial products. I have made hundreds of “fiori” and given most of them to friends and schools. Some have been displayed in public places, such as in the garden of Alex’s Place at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Miami, FL, and at various elementary schools around the county. While I walk, music from the radio keeps me company without distracting me from traffic and letting me keep my eyes on the road for “objets trouvez.” I am an 83-year old, retired engineer and professor of biomedical engineering as well as the happy owner of a hybrid cochlear implant. It gives me happiness when little children show delight in my creations.

Peter T.

Miami, Florida

My artwork portrays a llama in a form of art called zentangles. In my audiology program, I am so proud to have made such a wonderful circle of friends, something that I have never experienced having without the cochlear implant. When my friend told me that she has a recent craze of all things llama and alpaca, I made this wonderful piece of art for her. I will present it to her on her upcoming birthday. I still channel my energies into artwork because it has been my saving grace for so long, and from time-to-time, I like showing my appreciation towards friends I have today.

Saahi K.

Richmond Hill, Ontario - Canada

I can hear birds again. My wife gets a different bird every year. They are done in watercolors.

Steve P.

Boaz, Alabama

This is the story of our journey with our son who has bilateral cochlear implants. This picture shows the roller coasters of emotions that we, or any parent, went through.

Supriya H.

Plano, Texas

Other Floor Artwork:

Explore other artwork found on other floors of our Cochlear Americas headquarters.

1st Floor Artwork

4th Floor Artwork

5th Floor Artwork

Views expressed are those of the individual. Consult your health professional to determine if you are a candidate for Cochlear technology.