Work/Beyond Beats
Inclusive Rave Experiences for D/deaf and Hearing
Challenge & Context
Most rave spaces assume hearing as a default, sidelining those with different sensory experiences.This project challenges auditory privilege in rave culture and reimagines music as a multisensory, social, and inclusive experience.
How might we challenge auditory privilege in rave environments and create meaningful, inclusive musical experiences that foster interaction between D/deaf and hearing communities?
Research & Empathy Building
Immersing in Deaf spaces helped me unlearn assumptions. Every UNO game, every sign, every laugh revealed the culture behind the silence.
🧠 Participatory methods included:
- British Sign Language training
- Monthly immersion in D/deaf social spaces
- Volunteering at Deaf Rave 2024
- Informal interviews + autoethnographic reflection
oject challenges auditory privilege in rave culture and reimagines music as a multisensory, social, and inclusive experience.
How might we challenge auditory privilege in rave environments and create meaningful, inclusive musical experiences that foster interaction between D/deaf and hearing?
Testing Current Solutions
While haptic vests like Woojer showed potential, users expressed:- Sensory overload and anxiety
- Poor physical fit
- Limited ability to convey musical nuance
📌 Insight: Accessibility shouldn't mean strapping on a fix — it should reshape the experience.
Design Shift: The Environment as an Instrument
Why wear the music when you can move through it?
I shifted from wearable tech to environmental haptics:
- Vibrating floors
- Tactile walls + sculptures
- Responsive visuals tied to rhythm and touch
🌀 Inspired by Embodied Cognition and DeafSpace Principles, the space itself becomes the sensory device.
Social Interaction & Soft Sensory Zones
Inclusion isn’t just about access — it’s about belonging, calm, and co-creation.
Key insights shaped two parallel needs:
- High-energy co-creation: Group rhythms, visual loops, shared play
- Low-stimulus zones: Tactile seating, soft lighting, visual calmscapes for neurodiverse needs
🌿 I called these Soft Sensory Zones — rest areas built into rave design.
Final Outcome: Sea of Sensation
A room full of balloons. Every touch triggers sound, light, rhythm — and connection.
Sea of Sensation is a multisensory, collaborative rave room featuring:
- Balloons as musical triggers using piezo sensors
- Vibrating floor panels synced with rhythm
- Reactive visuals that mirror touch inputs
- Sound mapped across textures: drums, synths, pads
- Real-time co-creation, powered by inclusivity
🤝 Co-designed with Lia — a partially deaf music-lover who helped shape the code, UX, and feedback mapping.
Reflection & Future
“The moment she could feel the difference between guitar and drums — it was celebrational.”Challenges:
- Tech complexity → Not every venue can afford or install
- Scope focused on UK-based Deaf Raves
- Materials (latex balloons) need sustainable alternatives
Future Directions:
- Portable versions for smaller events
- Open-source sound mapping + hardware kits
- Longitudinal research on how inclusive design changes social dynamics