What is the cochlear implant/bionic ear?
The cochlear implant, or bionic ear, was developed in Australia in the 1970s and is considered an everyday part of contemporary medicine along with pacemakers, knee replacements and breast implants. It is an electronic device that is implanted into the head behind the ear of a person who is hearing impaired. When used with a microphone and speech processor it electrically stimulates the auditory nerve resulting in a person being able to hear sound.

It is the result of pioneering research commenced by Professor Graeme Clark in the late 1960s at the University of Melbourne’s Department of Otolaryngology. The prototype multiple-electrode bionic ear was implanted in the first adult in 1978.

The bionic ear was commercially developed by the Australian firm Cochlear Limited. The first device for clinical trial world-wide was implanted in 1982. International trials established that it was safe and effective and it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1985, the first multiple-electrode bionic ear to be approved by any world regulatory body.

In 1985, the team implanted the first child with a multiple-electrode bionic ear. It was developed and manufactured by Cochlear Limited in co-operation with The University of Melbourne and The Bionic Ear Institute.

Research work on the bionic ear required collaboration between many fields. They include auditory neurobiology, auditory physiology and perception, bionics programming, psychology and neuro-engineering.

What is the cochlear implant/bionic ear collection?
In 2010 Museum Victoria acquired over 200 objects and archives that outline the development, prototyping and fine-tuning of the cochlear implant. Some additional artefacts have also been lodged with the Powerhouse Museum, the National Museum of Australia and the National Film and Sound Archive.

How do we research and display the cochlear implant/bionic ear collection?
The primary curatorial question is how do we display this collection in a way that accurately describes the detailed multi-disciplinary technology yet at the same time fulfils visitors’ expectations for an engaging and uplifting museum experience? Museum visitors are now more and more geared towards the block-buster exhibition. They expect to see spectacular objects and anticipate an emotionally charged experience. Which stories would be told and in what format? Is a static museum display the most rewarding way to tell the multi-faceted story of the bionic ear to a very diverse museum audience?

Visitor response to a past display
In 2001 a small display was dedicated to the bionic ear within the broader theme of Melbourne medical research in an exhibition entitled Medical Melbourne. It featured a display of artefacts with text panels highlighting the significance of the innovation.
Audience research revealed that in general visitors were most interested in information related to the impact of a discovery on society and least interested in how much money research scientists earn. The results are detailed below.

Impact of their discovery on society: YES 94% NO 6%

Controversies involved in research: YES 87% NO 13%

Mistakes made in pursuing the ‘discovery’: YES 84% NO 16%

Their personal storey – what motivated them: YES 78% NO 22%

Recognition received for their discovery: YES 76% NO 24%

Other types of work they have been involved with: YES 75% NO 26%

Training completed to become a scientist: YES 56% NO 45%

How much money they earn: YES 21% NO 79%

When asked what they could remember about the exhibition Medical Melbourne only 11% of visitors could specifically name the bionic ear display amongst other stories such as an MRI machine, cancer research and IVF technology. Visitors found the specific information interesting and worthwhile but were essentially looking for a museum experience that is more spectacular and engaging.

What visitors are looking for in an exhibition
An exhibition that is currently on display in the Mind and Body Gallery at Melbourne Museum is The Mind: Enter the Labyrinth. It is based on sensory and exploratory experiences – addressing the science of the mind while also taking a historical perspective of mental health, bringing together psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience. Visitors willingly engage with the theatrically immersive nature of the exhibition. They enjoy the interactive components and also take time to look at artefacts and read the text panels. The average time spent in the exhibition is 37 minutes.

Essentially the display experience at Museum Victoria is primarily concerned with contextualising and inspiring. Museum Victoria visitors in general are looking for a relevant and inspiring experience. They want a few wide-ranging facts that are correct and authoritative and they do not want detail. However, a museum education audience requires more facts and detail and this can be provided as an online component. Another group is the museum research audience who primarily operate at a tertiary level. They want unlimited research information. The dilemma is how to provide for all these audiences.

Alternatives to an exhibition
Perhaps a display in a large multi-disciplinary museum is not the best way to tell the stories of the bionic ear. A small engaging display will appeal to a boutique audience however other alternatives should be explored.

The collection will eventually go online with some basic information about each artefact as well as an image. But how can we capture the imagination of a broader audience? The details of the workings of the cochlear implant have limited appeal to a broad museum audience. A possible online experience could explore the broader context of hearing in general; problems with hearing, how hearing can be damaged, how we hear music, what hearing aids do to our appreciation of music, and whether you can dance if you don’t hear music.

Researching visitors expectations of alternatives
We are currently in the process of testing a possible mobile phone immersive project that would communicate with text, images, moving image, sound and events at specific locations. The project would feature the bionic ear collection, highlighting its international significance and pointing out that it is located at your local museum.

Audience research outcomes will determine whether this might be one of many ways to tell the story of the cochlear implant.

References
Epstein, J (1989), The Story of the Bionic Ear, pub Hyland House; Clark, G M (2000) Sounds from Silence: Graeme Clark and the Bionic Ear Story, pub Allen & Unwin Clark, G M (2007), Restoring the Senses, Boyer Lectures, ABC Books for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Niparko, J K (2009), Cochlear Implants: Principles and Practices, 2nd ed, pub Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins
http://www.cochlear.com/au
http://graemeclarkfoundation.org/bionic_ear/CI%20Function.htm
http://www.bionicear.org/research/Music_perception.html
http://www.medoto.unimelb.edu.au/clinical_services/cochlear_implant_clinic

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