Created by and for a visually impaired audience, Extant’s latest stage adaption highlighted the stories of the blind Japanese female musicians, known as goze. Through a mix of animation, performance and digital video, the production team brought to life this lesson in cultural history using immersive multimedia and binaural sound.

Providing opportunities and a platform for disabled artists has been a personal and professional quest of Maria Oshodi, also CEO and artistic director of the company, for many years. During her conversation with Fiona and Clare, Maria details the challenges they overcame in creating accessible digital content, and the unexpected freedom that emerged from working off-stage, especially when it came to reaching a wider audience.

Experience Flight Paths for yourself: https://flightpaths.extant.org.uk/

Resources referenced during this podcast:

Cathy Mager - Sign Night http://www.cathymager.com/portfolio/sign-night/

Dante or Die - User Not Found https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcCvR4y2yk8

Filmed in Lockdown https://www.thespace.org/resource/filmed-lockdown

Artificial Intelligence and Next generation Storytelling
https://www.thespace.org/resource/artificial-intelligence-and-next-generation-storytelling

Finding a younger audience, interested not only in technology but immersive experiences:
https://www.thespace.org/resource/finding-audience

Presented by Fiona Morris and Clare Freeman.

Music: Jangal & Plantations - written & performed by Soumik Datta/published by Bucks Music Group Ltd

For more about The Space, visit thespace.org