On Oregon Public Broadcasting’s flagship daily talk program Think Out Loud, host Dave Miller sat down with Deaf musician, technologist, and CymaSpace founder Myles de Bastion to discuss the inaugural Northwest Deaf Arts Festival and the ground-breaking tactile acoustics developed by CymaSpace.
Translating Audio Frequencies into Color and Touch
During the comprehensive broadcast conversation, de Bastion reflected on his journey as a Deaf musician growing up in England and later establishing roots in Portland’s vibrant maker and artistic communities. Seeking ways to share the sensory euphoria of music with fellow Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, he began engineering systems that analyze audio signals in real time, converting pitches and amplitudes into synchronized LED hues and tactile vibrations.
“Music has always been an integral part of human expression,” de Bastion shared during the broadcast. “By creating technology that maps bass frequencies to visceral vibrations and higher harmonics to responsive color gradients, we tear down the arbitrary wall between the hearing and Deaf worlds.”
“When you walk into a venue outfitted with CymaSpace technology, you don't just watch people dance. You feel the rhythm pulsing up through the floor, you watch the harmony painting the room with light, and you participate in the exact same shared moment.”
The First Northwest Deaf Arts Festival
The interview celebrated the premiere of the Northwest Deaf Arts Festival hosted at Portland’s iconic Mississippi Studios. The festival showcased Deaf poets, visual artists, dancers, and musicians from across North America, equipped with:
- Audio-Reactive Lighting Installations: CymaSpace custom LED rigs dynamically projecting sound dynamics across the stage and auditorium.
- Tactile Transducer Platforms: Modular haptic platforms allowing both performers and attendees to feel every drum beat and bass groove in real time.
- Live ASL Interpretation & Open Captioning: Ensuring full linguistic access across all performances and spoken word interludes.
Listen to the Broadcast & Read the Transcript
The full audio recording and complete verbatim interview transcript are available directly on the Oregon Public Broadcasting archive:
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- Technology Architecture: Sound-to-Light & Haptic Hardware