Ephemeral Artifacts: Travis Knights

The use of vibrotactile vests adds a new way of experiencing the rhythms of tap dance that is not restricted to the auditory aspect. Indeed, this language takes into account that one’s body feels rhythm and it is this feeling, both individual and communal, that is integral to the transmission of tap and jazz over the decades.

Moving and unique; Ephemeral Artifacts: Travis Knights is a piece about tap dance, about rhythm, and about the body which could now be expressed through tactile devices held by the audience.

The elaboration of this process was born from a Dramaturgy and Accessibility lab through the development process of Ephemeral Artifacts:Travis Knights. This process was supported by Theatre Passe Muraille through the Toronto Arts Council Open Door Program.

The focus of this lab was to develop the work with accessibility as part of the artistic aesthetic while it evolved and not as an afterthought or as a translation. It was this process that allowed the work to change in relation to new knowledge, relationships and audiences the team was encountering. One of the key treasures of this process is the discovery of an innovation that benefits and expands the experience of live tap dance for deaf audiences. The ultimate lesson is that this system enhances the experience of all audiences.

Only deaf and hard of hearing spectators can reserve a vibrotactile device for the performance.

You are a hearing person and would like to learn more about the vibrotactile device system? See you in MAI’s Café on May 12th and 13th at 6pm, before the show.

Technician responsible for the vibrotactiles devices: David Bobier