Myles is a musician who also happens to be Deaf. His search for ways to bridge his passion for music with his Deaf identity led him to develop technology that enables sound to be experienced as light and vibration.
He is now using this technology to show how performing arts can be made more inclusive and engaging for the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing.
Learn more about the work of the film-maker Travis Howe over at www.redlabpdx.com
This exciting new program beginning in June 2016 will blend together a variety of creative and artistic disciplines, with the latest cutting edge accessibility measures to serve the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) community in Pacific NW.
In tandem with the above event series, we have exciting developments underway for a pilot program to provide an inclusive and accessible experience for the DHH at a major music festival the weekend of June 16-18.
If you are interested in getting involved with this program, please read and complete the proposal form below.
Lastly, we are looking to grow our list of ASL Interpreters / Performers so please do consider forwarding this annoucement on to anyone who may be interested in joining this program. Thank you.
Cultural, art & social events often rely on spoken, sung, performed or recorded sound to convey their cultural message or narrative experience. This is often inaccessible to those with hearing loss.
In answer to this, CymaSpace is announcing a formal ‘Call for Artists’ for paid artists for a special new performing arts program that furthers our mission to make performing arts inclusive and accessible to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing beginning Summer 2016.
This exciting program is made possible with thanks to partial grant funding generously awarded by the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) and Work for Art. This funding allows us to cover event expenses and crucially, participating artists and event staff will receive fiscal support and compensation for their services.
This Arts & Accessibility showcase series of performing arts events will demonstrate how technology and the celebration of Deaf Culture can transform accessibility from an after-thought, into an art form of its own merit. This new project will also present new opportunities for underserved Deaf artists to develop their artistic practices and share their work with new hearing audiences.
If you are interested in participating in this program as a performing artist, please complete this brief proposal form below. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis and will close May 15th 2016 whereupon final selections will be announced.
CymaSpace, a young but fast growing non-profit based in SE Portland is looking to hire a paid part-time freelance grant writer.
Our mission is to make performing arts more accessible & inclusive to the Deaf & Hard of Hearing through Technology, Education & Outreach.
If you have experience with creating proposals and grant-writing, and the idea of working with the cutting-edge intersection of arts, accessibility and technology in an inclusive, Deaf-friendly environment excites you, we want to hear from you!
Key responsibilities
Work directly with Board of Directors to familiarize self with missioon and needs of the Deaf community
Take on responsibility of submitting LOIs and applying for grants on a recurring part-time basis.
Maintain database and Google calendar of existing and new grant resources, deadlines and main points of contact.
Coordinate with volunteers and project collaborators to collect materials and documentation as needed for each grant application.
Submit letters of interest and grants both electronically and via postal mail.
Work with other volunteer grant writers collaboratively and in a mentoring role.
Requirements
Interest in non-profit and charity work (especially in the arts and accessibility).
Experience submitting LOI proposals and grant applications (preferably demonstrable prior success in winning and securing funds).
Able to commit to working a large number of hours over consecutive days to meet deadlines as they come up on a semi-regular basis.
Outstanding English Reading/Writing abilities.
Excellent project management, communication, organization and time-keeping skills (Managing grants and projects in Google Documents/Spreadsheets and keeping track of hours worked).
Priority given to candidates demonstrating:
Keen interest in accessibility and technology
Fluency in ASL (American Sign Language) & familiarity with Deaf Culture.
Pro-active support of local arts and culture in Portland, OR.
To apply
Send your resume, a brief introduction about why you would be a suitable candidate along with samples of prior grant applications to .
Coming soon to Portland, OR is a new multi-sensory environment / Snoezelen room specially designed for sensory therapy treatment for autism, dementia and other sensory processing disorders.
Snoezelen or controlled multisensory environment (MSE) is a therapy for people with autism and other developmental disabilities, dementia or brain injury. It consists of placing the person in a soothing and stimulating environment, called the “Snoezelen room”. These rooms are specially designed to deliver stimuli to various senses, using lighting effects, color, sounds, music, scents, etc. The combination of different materials on a wall may be explored using tactile senses, and the floor may be adjusted to stimulate the sense of balance. The person is usually accompanied by an aide or therapist.
At CymaSpace we feel our self-developed multi-sensory technologies would have a direct positive impact in sensory therapy applications and are looking into partnerships to make an accessible and inclusive multi-sensory environment for therapeutic treatments a reality.
If you are interested in this development please visit the following link where there is a short form that can be completed in order to receive updates on the project:
The AudioLux One is a new kind of LED lighting controller developed by the team at CymaSpace that will intelligently translate sound and music into light, color and movement. The system is specifically designed for musicians, producers and small events and provides simple, plug-and-play functionality. No complex programming or electronics know-how is required.
Make it your own. Any size LED project is possible.
Digital individually addressable LED strips are thin, flexible, power efficient and can be cut to any length which allows lighting effects to be incorporated in tight spaces and even into your existing music equipment.
For ambitious projects, it’s possible to build interactive LED installations on a large scale, with the Audiolux One sending pixel data to hundreds (even thousands of LEDs!). see some examples of such projects that we have built below.
For the software programming-savvy, the hardware has been designed around the Open-Source Arduino architecture allowing for complete freedom to customize the visualization or modify the hardware functionality of the in-built knobs and footswitch. As the community of Audiolux One users grows, you can expect to see new visualizations being created and shared. If you don’t know how to program, you can still upload new presets over USB with any Windows/Mac/Linux computer and change up the visualizations.
Every purchase of an Audiolux One benefits CymaSpace.
A percentage of proceeds from every sale of the Audiolux One will be donated directly to CymaSpace to help our organization continue it’s mission of making performing arts more inclusive and engaging to the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing.
To learn more or purchase an Audiolux One System head over to it’s dedicated website: www.audioluxdevices.com.
At CymaSpace, we are working to make performing arts more accessible and inclusive to the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing. The team behind our innovative Technology Program are proud to announce our newest development:
Cymatic Lighting – A Modern “Visual Sound” System for Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing
An open source Cymatic Lighting system that allows the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing to see music & alerts using the Arduino hardware platform & digital individually addressable LEDs. Source code and information on how to purchase or rent the system can be found at the bottom of this page.
1 in 8 Americans & 360 million people globally live in partial or complete silence due to hearing loss. Cultural events (performing arts & social gatherings) are a powerful way to bring communities together; however the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) are often excluded their benefits. When such events rely on sound to deliver their experience or message, organizations & artists often overlook equal access as they lack resources or awareness to ensure their event activities are accessible to those who cannot hear.
To address this need, CymaSpace serves the community providing advocacy for DHH patrons as well as access to ASL interpreters, accessible technologies and Deaf awareness training to art organizations, venues, festivals and individual artists.
Through the CymaSpace Technology Program, we are developing hardware & software solutions to intelligently translate audio into light & vibration, sound can be seen & felt not just heard. When applied to performing arts; DHH & hearing audiences respond positively, reporting new appreciation for art mediums previously thought inaccessible. Many state the developments encourage them to attend events & socialize more. DHH artists could follow rhythms & perform alongside hearing peers. Others express a desire to use the technology at home for their entertainment system or even alert/safety systems.
The Cymatic Lighting System represents a significant first step in providing equal access to sound & music during performing arts & social events. Our affordable to purchase, rent or easy-to-build, open-source sound-reactive LED lighting system can be used in a variety of applications such as creating a visually compelling lighting addition to performance stages or integrated into architecture and even furniture. Incorporating Cymatic Lighting into your events has been shown to increase attendance by the Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing community and is a great way to improve equal access.
If you are interested in incorporating Cymatic Lighting into your own venue, event or artistic practice there currently several options available:
Cymatic Lighting System Rental
The system can be rented from CymaSpace and temporarily installed at your event. Please Contact Us directly for rental inquiries.
Purchase a System through Audiolux Devices
Audiolux Devices (audioluxdevices.com), offer the system, built to order in a rugged, easy-to-use and compact kit that can be purchased and even customized to fit your unique needs.
Build your own
The source-code and basic getting started instructions on how to build your own Cymatic Lighting System have been released over on our Github page (github.com/CymaSpace/Cymatic-Lighting)
Join today and receive full perks of the CymaSpace membership program including discounted access to events, and a special rewards program with our many participating local and national businesses.
We Make Arts, Cultural & Media Events Accessible & Inclusive To The Deaf & Hard of Hearing Through Technology, Education & Outreach
What is CymaSpace?
Accessibility & Inclusion
CymaSpace is a leading advocate for accessibility and inclusion within performing arts, cultural events, and media broadcasting for DHH people. We are constantly striving to find new ways to ensure our venue and events are inclusive, especially to DHH communities.
Technology & Arts Incubator
We provide incubator services for new fledgling organizations and communities that are exploring emerging concepts in combining technology and the arts.
Education & Outreach
We provide educational opportunities for artists, the general public and other performance venues interested in incorporating our unique, cymatic concepts into their work.
Cymatic Study
CymaSpace is an epicenter for Cymatic study and we are committed to raising awareness of and promoting the benefits of Cymatics (the science and study of sound made visible).
