Developed together with the Kentalis in Amsterdam, an organisation that supports people who are hearing impaired, deaf or deaf-blind, Tarek Atoui will host a workshop with a group of children who are deaf. Together they will delve into the Waisvisz archive in relation to Atoui’s ongoing research into instrument building, touch design, and composing together with people with different hearing abilities through his project Within.

A series of Michel Waisvisz’ unedited line drawings, sometimes more than 6 metres in length, composed of multidimensional waves, are being reproduced and brought into connection to Atoui’s Sub Ink. The instrument was constructed as a set of four units with a single subwoofer each on which the performer sits in contact with the sound. By touching an ink drawing the musician previously prepares, plays a basic synthesiser in rhythmic or melodic ways. The Sub-Ink is a modular instrument that can be used to control other devices such as computers and synthesisers, and to connect and synchronise musicians with different hearing abilities.

With a primary focus on exploring the relationship between sound and the body, the workshop tackles the ways in which deafness can influence our understanding of sound performance, its space and instrumentation. Emphasising new approaches to music-making rooted in tactility, the project transcends traditional auditory experiences, inviting the children to create and play with the vibrations of sound and music.