SEEING THE UNHEARD

forthcoming

SEEING THE UNHEARD is a bold cultural cooperation project that reimagines how Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences can experience live music across Europe. It brings together three partners from Latvia, Estonia, and Spain to create an inclusive, scalable model for accessible concerts—integrating real-time sign language translation, original poetry, and live multilingual subtitles via a mobile digital system. The project develops a custom software and station setup that allows sign language translators to work remotely, streaming expressive sign language and subtitles directly to the concert venue. Translators are selected through inclusive open calls and trained using a shared methodology that combines artistic expression, musical timing, and simultaneous signing and speech for subtitling. Unlike standard accessibility tools, this solution captures the emotional and sensory qualities of music in real time. Each partner curates a concert programme featuring instrumental works from all three countries. Local poets are commissioned to write texts inspired by the music, making abstract compositions more relatable and emotionally accessible. These poems are translated into all partner languages plus English and Ukrainian. The concerts are performed live, signed and subtitled in real time, and livestreamed for broader reach. A multilingual digital handbook will document the methodology, tools, and lessons learned—freely available to cultural organisations and venues across Europe. SEEING THE UNHEARD directly supports Creative Europe’s priorities of inclusion, digital innovation, and accessibility. It empowers Deaf audiences not just as viewers, but as co-creators, and equips the cultural sector with sustainable tools to make music truly accessible.