This Friday evening, for once, Cyril will be able to attend a concert, just in front of the stage, far from the speakers. Usually, however, this is where he has to stand to feel the vibrations. Like many deaf and hard of hearing people, it is one of the ways to perceive certain frequencies emitted by musical instruments or DJ decks. And on Friday and Saturday, there will be no shortage of them during the second edition of the “Mecanik paradise”, the event organized in Toulouse by the Hall of the Machine.
Between two wanderings of the Minotaur and the firing of fireworks, of which the teams of François Delarozière have the secret, Cyril and other deaf spectators will be able to be connected to the songs of La Femme, Jeanne Added or to the samples of DJ Boris Brejcha thanks to vibrating vests made available by the town hall of Toulouse. The city has several kits that it makes available free of charge to theatres, socio-cultural centers and even concert halls. This summer, they were thus used within the framework of a cine-concert and will be used during the next Rio Loco festival.
All you need is a sound mixer: fairly light vests, which you put on like a baby carrier on your chest, can then be connected using a transmitter-receiver. “It then acts as a translator of music into vibrations”, indicates an agent of the “disability and accessibility” service who trained Cyril this week in their use. The latter volunteered to supervise the other users during the two concert evenings, happy that this type of approach is developing to improve inclusion.
Visits in LSF
Before this “first” of the vibrating vests, the cultural establishment had already deployed balloons which help in the transmission of vibrations. It also has a magnetic loop which translates into an audio signal for hearing-impaired people. “Our project is to be accessible to everyone. For the past two years, once a month we have had visits in sign language and we are also going to offer tactile visits,” explains Fanny Poitevin from Halle de la Machine, who works with the town hall as part of the system. “Cities for All”which promotes accessible events in the metropolis.