Live Audience Accessibility & Augmentation (‘LAAA’) Projects

Four LAAA projects evaluated audience experiences of engaging with authentic ‘live’ music performances, augmented with haptic technology which transforms sound into felt vibration, while facilitating knowledge exchange and outreach activity. Delivered by Cornwall Business School, in partnership with AMATA, the first LAAA events installed the BEAT BLOCKS haptic dancefloor and programmed DEAF RAVE DJ workshops in May 2023. LAAA2F field tested haptic vests, at Boomtown Fair  and the Deaf Rave Festival in 2023. LAAA2BB measured audience and policy maker perceptions of the haptic dancefloor, with colleagues from the University of Brighton, at Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Meltdown Festival and Tropical Pressure in 2024. LAAA2BB co-convened the Access to Music Conference, at Cheltenham Jazz Festival. LAAA3 delivered knowledge exchange through Launchpad Futures and included Bellatrix performing at AMATA with a haptic floor tile on stage. 

Project aim

The UK live music industry faces challenges to inclusivity relating to accessibility for people who are d/Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent. Information Communication Technologies (‘ICT’) can be deployed to augment the way in which many audiences experience live music and offer some potential to increase access. The general term haptics relates to the sense of touch (Brewster 2005: 2). Introducing touch into multimedia applications concerned with sight and sound has been described as the “next critical step” in their development (El Saddik 2007: 11).  

The LAAA projects addressed Audience perceptions of live music performances augmented with haptic ICT and piloted iterations of a ‘Liveness 4:0’ scale regarding ICT enhanced performances at music festivals. The research team also explored policy maker perceptions of the BEAT BLOCKS haptic floor and considered a performer perspective of the technology. 

The immersive experience provided by LAAA intersected with other collaborative research inquiries underway in AMATA, particularly in relation to immersive performance, sound and the environment, health and wellbeing. 

Project context

The LAAA projects built on previous work by Adrian Bossey, (ORCHID iD 0000-0002-9874-6323) who has been undertaking research into potential digital futures for live performance in the staging and consumption of music festivals including: 

BOSSEY, A. (2019) Industry perceptions of potential digital futures for live performance in the staging and consumption of music festivals. The Routledge Handbook of Festivals, Abingdon: Routledge. https://doi.org?10.4324/9781315186320-41 

BOSSEY, A. (2020) Accessibility All Areas? UK live music industry perceptions of current practice and Information and Communication Technology improvements to accessibility for music festival attendees who are Deaf or disabled. International Journal of Event and Festival Management. Volume 11. Issue 1. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijefm-03-2019-0022  

BOSSEY, A. (2023) Liveness 4.0: a new paradigm for accessible performances at music festivals. In Virtual Events Management. Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers. ISBN 978-1-915097-03-3 

BOSSEY, A. (2023) Do you think ICT enhanced performances are really ‘live’ music? In, International Case Studies in Event Management 
ed. by MAIR, J, AKTAS, G and KOZAK, M. Abingdon: Routledge https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003390381 

BOSSEY, A. (2023) Piloting test scales to measure perceptions of liveness regarding ICT enhanced performances at music festivals. Event Management. Volume 27, Issue 5. (pp.1-28) https://doi.org/10.3727/152599523X16896548396798  

BOSSEY, A (2024) ‘Considering the potential for increasing sustainability at UK music festivals by monetising ICT enhanced content to fund reductions in overall on-site capacity.’ The Routledge Handbook of Events and Sustainability. Routledge. 

These works contribute to international discourse around liveness, accessibility, teaching and pedagogy relating to music festivals. 

The LAAA projects contributed to research, knowledge exchange, APP outreach, course promotion and student experience/employability outputs. 

One journal article relating to the LAAA project and another from the LAAA2F project have been submitted to publishers. Research from LAAA2BB is currently being analysed in preparation for additional journal articles.  

Project process

Following a literature review, previous research and expert feedback. LAAA events were devised to support field research, knowledge exchange and outreach:  

The initial LAAA project facilitated: Live performances presented by In Place of War: Around the World in 80 Raves. In-conversation events with Suzanne Bull, founder of Attitude is Everything and Lucy Evans, Producer for In Place of War. Deaf Rave DJ Workshops for school groups including The Deaf Academy to experience Woojer Haptic Vests and watch Music student performances on BEAT BLOCKS. Haptic Thresholds: Feeling the World Through Sound. A sound installation by researchers working at the intersection of soundscape ecology, aural diversity, voice studies, and sound-based composition. Accessing Culture & Tourism Workshops with Access Cornwall provided a Haptic Flooring demonstration of BEAT BLOCKS for local businesses. Subsidised places on the Attitude is Everything course, to visitor attractions and/or music venues. 

LAAA2F: Worked with Deaf Rave to evaluate user experience/perceptions of their live experience when wearing Woojer Haptic Vests at selected music festivals. The project focused on the disruption of an existing haptic technology to facilitate accessibility and inclusive participation of people who are Deaf or disabled. This project successfully stimulated a research partnership between academics from Falmouth University and the University of Brighton.  

The first field test took place at Boomtown Fair in August 2023. A second field test took place at the Deaf Rave Festival in October. Gathering completed questionnaires in the hectic environment of a DJ/MC performance at a music festival is not without challenges, so we agreed to experiment with other methodologies in future projects. 

LAAA2BB deployed questionnaires and photo elicitation techniques while working with partners to introduce audience members who are d/Deaf, disabled or neurodiverse to BEAT BLOCKS. At Cheltenham Jazz Festival; LAAA2BB partnered with National Star, Gloucestershire Deaf Association and Gloucester Disability Arts Association to provide a haptic experience for their students and members. In London,  Attitude is Everything organised Mystery Shopper attendees for Meltdown. Finally, LAAA2BB worked with Access Cornwall, Hearing Loss Cornwall and iSight Cornwall to source participants for Tropical Pressure. 

LAAA3 delivered a workshop for businesses to consider accessibility and experience the BEAT BLOCKS haptic dancefloor.  

 LAAA Outputs:

LAAA2f Outputs:

LAAA2BB Outputs:

LAAA3 Outputs:

The LAAA and LAAA2BB projects were funded by HEIF. LAAA2F was funded by the Association for Events Management Education. LAAA3 was supported by Launchpad Futures and funded by Good Growth shared Prosperity Fund. 

Beat Blocks: Provided the haptic floor. Beat Blocks 

Deaf Rave: Provided workshops, Woojer vests and performances. Deaf Rave 

Attitude is Everything: Provided in-conversation speaker. Attitude is Everything 

In Place of War: Presented performances as part of Around the World in 80 Raves and provided an in-conversation speaker. Around the World in 80 Raves 

ASONE Hub: Promoted workshops to schools. 

Cheltenham Festival Ltd: Presented Access to Music Conference 

To date there has been two films produced and multiple images and ten posters. There have also been three magazine/newspaper articles, two radio interviews and one TV interview. Individual project reports are available via FURR.