Do you hear what I hear? Probably not. This is illustrated by a viral audio clip of a computerised voice that utters a single word. Some listeners are convinced they hear the name ‘Yanny’, while others distinctly hear ‘Laurel’. This phenomenon is just one element of the LAM museum’s brand-new audio tour, designed to heighten our awareness of what we hear and how we listen. The tour guides visitors past artworks that make sound, as well as artworks made of sound, revealing how hearing is a deeply personal experience — and how sound can completely change the way we view art.

One of the sound artworks featured is Songs Sung in the First Person on Themes of Longing by the acclaimed Scottish artist Susan Philipsz (1965). Amid the rustling leaves on the trees surrounding the museum, visitors’ ears may occasionally catch a voice softly humming love songs. Susan Philipsz originally performed these songs over a British supermarket’s intercom. “You can’t touch this sound artwork, but it can definitely touch you”, explains the artist.