About this Event
Event overview
DMLab is a space for Disabled and Non-Disabled musicians, technologists, and makers to exchange practices and explore new accessible instruments.
At this event we’re delighted to share three new accessible instruments developed over the course of 10 months with support from DMLab grants:
- Music hacker Lee Holder presents accessible instrument The Calliope,
- Electronic artist Nicola Woodham presents modular, wearable, live audio sampler Buffer Live,
- Designer zen olenski presents holographic musical instrument The _PhotoSYNTH 4D_.
During the event, we will open applications for this year’s DMLab grant scheme, inviting accessible instrument makers to apply for support in the development of accessible instruments.
Find out more about the 2023 grantees
The event will also include opportunities for networking and music making and testing a selection of instruments from Drake Music’s Accessible Musical Instrument Collection.
While this will be an in-person event, there will also be the opportunity to view the presentations online. Register for an online ticket to receive the Zoom link, which will be shared ahead of the event.
Access
- The venue, Rich Mix, is wheelchair accessible, via a permanent entrance ramp and lifts inside the building. The event will be held in The Studio, which is level throughout and is located on the 4th floor.
- There are accessible toilets (with RADAR locks) on the ground floor, 1st floor, 2nd floor and the 4th floor.
- There will be a quiet space available
- We will have live captions and BSL interpreters at the session (these will also be available on the livestream).
- There is a hearing loop in the Studio that can be used by switching most hearing aids to the ‘T’ position.
- There is also an infrared system in The Studio which requires the use of headsets (which Rich Mix provides).
Please let us know of any specific access requirements when registering for the event.
Find out more about accessibility at Rich Mix
About the speakers
Image description: A headshot of Lee against a black background. Lee is wearing a black hoodie and a yellow lanyard and is smiling at the camera.
Lee Holder / Lee Chaos is a music hacker who works for The Music Works and Music Leaders UK by day, and DJs & creates interactive audiovisual immersive art by night. For the last 20 years, Lee has focused on improving music inclusion for people with additional needs through building and modifying music technology to widen participation & inclusion.
The Calliope accessible instrument designed for Drake Music as part of The Music Works Sound Gadgets initiative explores RFID tags and the gamification of music making to engage young neurodiverse people through play.
Find out more about The Music Works
Image description: Nicola is looking towards the camera against a white wall. Nicola is wearing a white shirt with small images of hands, hearts, and moons.
Nicola Woodham has performed and composed electronic music since 2014. Vocals are central and she brings in sound-poetry and free-improvisation. She uses live performance as a way to scale herself up and to reflect on her rights to take up space as a disabled person more widely. Since 2019 she has been designing and building wearable instruments with tactile e-textiles to explore multi-sensory interfaces for playing music.
Nicola has developed a modular, wearable live audio sampler, Buffer Live. The instrument can be coded to explore a variety of frequency preferences. It is played via soft fabric sensors that are responsive to pressure and contact. It is built using a Bela Mini and derived from the Live Sampler included in the embelashed audio tool kit.
Find out more about Nicola
Find out more about embelashed
Image description: A black and white illustration of zen wearing a hat.
From machines that convert dreams into soundtracks, through cybernetic interfaces giving plants the power to sing, to magical musical hats, sympathetic synthesizers and the most stealthy wearable instruments, zen from designerzen has been on a relentless 25-year mission bringing colourful sound solutions into everybody's worlds.
The _PhotoSYNTH 4D_ is a holographic musical instrument that by observing and learning from your movements enhances them with radical new musical superpowers.
Find out more about designerzen
DMLab London is supported by the City Bridge Foundation and with public funding from Arts Council England.</h4>
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, United Kingdom
GBP 0.00