A Very Special Symposium

In November 2022, we were delighted to be part of a very special Symposium organised by our academic partners The Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast and The Centre for Digital Music at Queen Mary University London. Hosted at the magical IKLECTIC art lab event space in London, the event brought together an incredible group to discuss the latest developments in accessible software.

As part of our long-term commitment to access and inclusion in the music sector, Creative United is currently supporting the research activities of two PhD studentships that explore accessibility issues in music production from the perspective of visually impaired and blind people (“VIB”).

Led by VIB practitioners Jason Dasent and James Cunningham, these research programmes are helping us to deepen our understanding of how improved accessibility standards in the development of both music hardware and software is transforming the way in which music production can be enabled for both sighted and non-sighted industry professionals.

A very special symposium

In November 2022, we were delighted to be part of a very special Symposium organised by our academic partners The Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast and The Centre for Digital Music at Queen Mary University London. Hosted at the magical IKLECTIC art lab event space in London, this event brought together an incredible group of  VIB musicians, sound engineers, live performers, producers, software developers and academics from the UK, Europe and USA to discuss their knowledge, experience and latest developments in accessible software.

Alongside panel discussions and workshop activities, we heard presentations from Jay Pocknell and Peter Bosher about their new web platform and community hub Sound without Sight, and also the creative learning and performance programme being led by UCAN Productions in Wales, with blind and visually impaired children and young people, and their friends.

Music tech accessibility heading towards mainstream

Thanks to the everyone who contributed to the Symposium, we have significantly expanded our global network of collaborative partners with expertise in this field. The momentum is clearly building and there is no doubt that we are now a step or two closer to accessibility in music tech being established as a mainstream industry standard, not a niche requirement.

To discover more about the Performance without Barriers research at Queen’s University and our AHRC funded PhD study with James Cunningham please visit Bridging the Gap.

A selection of images from the event