It may sound weird but on 5 March a concert will take place at Clinton’s Tavern in Toronto and it will be solely for the enjoyment of deaf people.
Ryerson University’s Centre of Learning Technology and the Science of Music, Auditory Research and Technology Lab have announced what they call the first-ever concert for the hearing impaired. Performances by Fox Jaws, Hollywood Swank, the Dufraines and others will showcase a set of Emoti-Chairs, devices that translate music into a series of tactile sensations such as rocking, vibrating and blasts of air.
Emoti-Chairs are the work of Ryerson University’s Alternative Sensory Information Displays (ASID) project. A computer inside each chair analyses sound frequencies using a similar mapping to the human cochlea. These frequencies are then translated into mechanical responses – including motion, vibration, and blasts of air on the face.
Besides the Emoti-Chairs, the concert will also use open captioning, interpreters and music visualisation to complement the live music experience.
The enhanced chairs will be available for everyone to try. The ASID project is focused on exploring alternate methods of presenting sensory information to those with a hearing impairment, concentrating on three different types of audio: music, background or environmental sound, and speech patterns and intonation.
Acts announced to perform at this ground-breaking March 5 concert include Toronto hip-hop and dance DJ ill.gates, Barrie’s “epic folk rock’n'roll” band Fox Jaws, as well as The Dufraines, Hollywood Swank and DJ Stéphane Vera.
