Since you're an audio guy, I think you'll understand when I say I don't think I've ever heard true silence. There's a ton of noise everywhere, even when we think we're in a quiet place. That being said, I think I know what you're after here, and I won't waste time on the former. Silence is almost impossible in my life. It's something I have to fight for. I try for at least 5-15 minutes of quiet prayer, pondering, and meditation every day. I don't always succeed at this - but when I miss it, I really MISS it. For me, that time is crucial to regroup, resync, and commune with myself and my god. It's a way baseline my day/week/year/life.
True silence will freak you out. Anechoic chambers are spooky; it feels as if something is being stripped bodily away from you. But they aren't "silent" because there's always something going on in them. A firm I worked for did design work for Paul Allen. He has a studio. And for some reason, he decided his drum room needed to be NC5. Here's a Noise Criterion explanation. You'll note it doesn't go down to NC5. That's because the presence of a human in an NC5 environment pushes it to NC10, even if they hold their breath. To measure an NC5 environment you have to put your device on a timer and close the door. It was the first time I'd been exposed to something that quiet. It's actually oppressive. You hear... you. If it was something you'd run across by accident you'd find it quite uncomfortable.
This is really interesting to me. I can see why it would be uncomfortable but I wonder if it could be used to help facilitate a better mind/body connection. We so easily forget that we are essentially piles of meat, blood and bone clanking around breathing and emitting any number of things. Might put one in touch with their mortality, their mechanisms. So, how long were you inside one of these?
;-) Is this seriously the first time you've stumbled across Sense-dep? Or are you pulling my leg? Either way, I've got your Friday night movie selection.
THANK YOU for the link, I've not seen this movie but will this weekend. I've definitely come across Sense-dep before but I've never talked with anyone that has partook. I'm genuinely curious what the experience is like from a first hand account?
Paddy Chayefski's last, and probably Ken Russell's closest to mainstream (he also did Tommy and Lair of the White Worm). it's not a great film, but it sure is weird. Hanging out in an NC5 environment isn't sensory deprivation per se; it's just strange to discover just how much of our sense of place is related to the environment around us. Take away that environment and we start to feel unmoored.