Belinda Tran

Haptic Cinema

The Haptic Cinema is my interpretation of normal activity for those of normal hearing and heightening the cinematic experience for the d/Deaf. This project aims to allow guests into the space to either experience moving through space living with the impairment and/or allow visual sound to enhance manoeuvring through the space and eventual vibrations to enhance the hearing experience.

The hearing are accustomed to living without any issues with listening, communicating, and understanding solely on their ears. However, it isn’t the same case for the d/Deaf. They are forced to adapt and learn to find another way to have the same interpretation of situations and scenes in front of them through other senses. Through this space, the whole experience of each section is designed to activate a new viewpoint for the hearing and heighten the experience for the d/Deaf.

Imperial Lane was once a bustling two-picture cinema; now, it just feels empty and muted. Sitting between Fort Lane and Queen Street, there’s always life, and the space is just used as a shortcut to other destinations. With this project, I hope to bring back an upgraded, modern-day cinema to draw life back to the site.

Reflecting on my deaf experience as an individual who can experience both the deaf and hearing worlds thanks to cochlear implants. The closest comparison I could explain to how a hearing person would understand the transition between the two worlds is the moment in a cinema where the lights abruptly turn on/off.

So why not heighten that experience for the d/Deaf too? More than just the visuals and (lack of) sound is needed to illustrate the full experience.