Hear, see and feel music

SOMETHING extraordinary occurred in the Aula Maxima, University of Galway during the Arts Festival when Galway multimedia artist Jane Cassidy invited people of all abilities to hear, see and feel music via musical instruments created by a group of artists from Arts Alive under the Brothers of Charity Services Ireland.

Commissioned for the Galway International Arts Festival and additionally supported by the Create Artists in the Community Scheme, Tactile Tunes is a collaborative project that makes music-making accessible to everyone, particularly people with intellectual disabilities.

The instruments ranged from Harmonious Hearts to Clocha an Chladaigh, Cosmic CDJ, Cois Farraige, Dancing Isosceles, The Westend Rattle and the Stone of Destiny. This sensory approach speaks especially to people who have long been locked out of the world of music. “It’s music you can feel,” Jane told The Tuam Herald. “You don’t have to read notes or understand composition. You just have to improvise.”

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