Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Accessible circus - what'd ya think? (self.Blind)
submitted by agata_cirque
Hi folks. I'm a circus artist looking to make online circus-y content which is accessible to the blind and deaf communities, with the hope to start a wider conversation in the industry about making performance arts more accessible in general. Thing is, I don't really know where to start! Is anyone here interested at all in being able to experience some magnificent circus magic online, or is it just the last thing you would care about? I'd love love love to hear your thoughts, opinions, ideas, and anything else you want to say about this. Is it shit? Feel free to let me know.
I am also wondering how the blind or partially sighted people of Reddit feel about the art and entertainment industries - is enough being done to include you in the mainstream experiences?
I am also wondering how the blind or partially sighted people of Reddit feel about the art and entertainment industries - is enough being done to include you in the mainstream experiences?
NovemberGoat 5 points 3y ago
I would love a more inclusive circus experience. A really powerful fix that already exists in the world is adding audio descriptions to performances. Live audio description has been incorporated in theatre pieces for a good while now, though it could always do with more proliferation. There have been some incredibly immersive descriptions I've come back to over and over again, mainly because of how well they fit the tone of the visuals they're detailing. Personally, I think it's a big thing to keep in mind. There's nothing that can kill a piece of entertainment for me like an overly nutral, flat, uninspired description. I think there could be a ton of fun to be had reflecting the different emotional qualities of a performance within a description.
As a kid, going to the circus every year as it traveled through was a family tradition. While I had a bit more sight than I do now, we still had to stump up extra cash to get seats closer to the front for me to see anything of notable worth. Something that really helped was the high contrast environment of the big top. The bright elumination set inside the darkness of the tent made it easy for me to locate and track performers. While I might not have known exactly what was going on, I could see enough to make sense of what was happening in front of me, with the addition of a description in my ear from a family member as they were watching. My favourite acts were the gymnasts. The interprative nature of the performances meant I didn't need to see exactly what everyone else was. I could still marvle at a human spinning and flying through the air, and be baffled at the required skill levels. The same goes for fire based acts.
I'd love to get involved with this somehow. The circus has been something that has fascinated me for years, and it's been far too long since I've actually been to one. My PMs' are always open if you think I might be of use. I work in the music industry, so flexible thinking is second nature to me.
You're definitely on to something great with this. I really hope it bares fruit for you.
As a kid, going to the circus every year as it traveled through was a family tradition. While I had a bit more sight than I do now, we still had to stump up extra cash to get seats closer to the front for me to see anything of notable worth. Something that really helped was the high contrast environment of the big top. The bright elumination set inside the darkness of the tent made it easy for me to locate and track performers. While I might not have known exactly what was going on, I could see enough to make sense of what was happening in front of me, with the addition of a description in my ear from a family member as they were watching. My favourite acts were the gymnasts. The interprative nature of the performances meant I didn't need to see exactly what everyone else was. I could still marvle at a human spinning and flying through the air, and be baffled at the required skill levels. The same goes for fire based acts.
I'd love to get involved with this somehow. The circus has been something that has fascinated me for years, and it's been far too long since I've actually been to one. My PMs' are always open if you think I might be of use. I work in the music industry, so flexible thinking is second nature to me.
You're definitely on to something great with this. I really hope it bares fruit for you.
agata_cirque [OP] 3 points 3y ago
Thank you so much for this lovely response!! I've been thinking of adding narration to my acts, which might not be exactly audio description but it would match the energy of the visual side of things and emulate the intended expression, hopefully in itself capturing the magic. Is that a viable way to go about it in your opinion, or should I still describe what's going on?
NovemberGoat 2 points 3y ago
You're more than welcome. The internet is a much better place when I get to have conversations like this.
Self narration is definitely an option. Derren Brown is fantastic at this. I can't immediately think of anything of his that I've seen that I couldn't appreciate in one way or another. While I don't really have any personal experience with it, I would imagine it would be quite easy to come to an authentic, effective final product through your intimate knowledge of your act.
If I may ask, what sort of performances do you do?
Self narration is definitely an option. Derren Brown is fantastic at this. I can't immediately think of anything of his that I've seen that I couldn't appreciate in one way or another. While I don't really have any personal experience with it, I would imagine it would be quite easy to come to an authentic, effective final product through your intimate knowledge of your act.
If I may ask, what sort of performances do you do?
agata_cirque [OP] 1 points 3y ago
That's a great suggestion, it's been a while since I've last seen him so it will be good for me to remind myself anyway!
Pre-coronavirus I mainly trained in aerial acrobatics, however since the start of lockdown (I'm in the UK) I've been learning juggling and dance, and generally playing about in a confined space. I've also been messing around with the idea of circus photography, with the overarching idea being to share something on Instagram which will get people to pause scrolling and bring a little bit of circus joy to their life. I'm trying to add descriptive text in the captions and alt text, but I don't have a clue if it's any good! Might be completely useless to people who have never had sight, but my thinking behind this is that people who are partially sighted or had their vision for a part of their life will be able to hear the text and understand what I'm trying to communicate through the piece. Again, if you or anyone else reading this has any feedback, I'd love to hear it. As is probably evident, my knowledge in accessibility is limited and I'm still trying to educate myself! My instagram -- which I'm not trying to promote, by the way, just in case you're interested -- is @agata_cirque .
Pre-coronavirus I mainly trained in aerial acrobatics, however since the start of lockdown (I'm in the UK) I've been learning juggling and dance, and generally playing about in a confined space. I've also been messing around with the idea of circus photography, with the overarching idea being to share something on Instagram which will get people to pause scrolling and bring a little bit of circus joy to their life. I'm trying to add descriptive text in the captions and alt text, but I don't have a clue if it's any good! Might be completely useless to people who have never had sight, but my thinking behind this is that people who are partially sighted or had their vision for a part of their life will be able to hear the text and understand what I'm trying to communicate through the piece. Again, if you or anyone else reading this has any feedback, I'd love to hear it. As is probably evident, my knowledge in accessibility is limited and I'm still trying to educate myself! My instagram -- which I'm not trying to promote, by the way, just in case you're interested -- is @agata_cirque .
NovemberGoat 2 points 3y ago
I love the stuff you've put up there. Currently, my favourite is the one of you on the floor with a juggling ball over one of your eyes. Photography is a language I know very little about, and having access to pictures with alt text goes a long way to helping me build my vocabulary. Much like music, the stranger a photo seems to me, the more emboldened I feel to interpret it in my own way.
The later photos you have up are way easier to understand than the older ones. I had to read the older ones with the cliffnote format over a few times before I got what was going on. If it reads more naturally out loud, the concept comes through way more intuitively on this end.
Keep up the great work. You've definitely got an audience for it.
The later photos you have up are way easier to understand than the older ones. I had to read the older ones with the cliffnote format over a few times before I got what was going on. If it reads more naturally out loud, the concept comes through way more intuitively on this end.
Keep up the great work. You've definitely got an audience for it.
CloudyBeep 1 points 3y ago
Audio description is generally done by trained describers. An advantage of having someone else do the describing is that they might use more vivid language than you would, simply because they're more used to doing it because they do it on a more regular basis. Many audio describers are trained for different kinds of live events, so I'm sure you could find describers to do virtually-delivered descriptions in many English-speaking countries. But you could probably do good narration yourself if you ensured that you described what you're doing and included an explanation of things that the audience might not be familiar with.
bradley22 1 points 3y ago
Audio description would be great
The circus isn’t my kind of thing, I find it to be a bunch of sounds but with audio description others would probably enjoy it. Oh and perhaps a touch tour like they do in the theatre might improve the experience.
The circus isn’t my kind of thing, I find it to be a bunch of sounds but with audio description others would probably enjoy it. Oh and perhaps a touch tour like they do in the theatre might improve the experience.
BlueRock956 1 points 3y ago
I used Aira to enjoy a circus in early March. I had quite a bit of fun.
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