Deafness & Music

Deafness + Music = ?

A short film about being a Deaf musician, and about the technology I built so sound could be seen and felt.

Looking for ways to bridge music and my Deaf identity is what led me to develop technology that lets sound be experienced as light and vibration.

I now use that technology to make performing arts more engaging for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing audiences. The work has been shown at the Portland Art Museum and OMSI, and on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and I have built large scale installations for music festivals and for Esperanza Spalding. In 2013 I founded CymaSpace, a nonprofit that produces arts and cultural events inclusive of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing.

Shot and edited by Travis Howe