Mix-Tape is Accessibility in Action

photo by Tiffany McKnight

Mix-Tape is Accessibility in Action

At Factory Obscura, inclusivity is in our bones. It drives the choices we make and the art we create, and it extends to the farthest reaches of every experience we build. That’s one reason we’ve worked intentionally to make sure Mix-Tape, our first permanent experience, is accessible to people of all abilities.

photo by Claire Nelson

“When Mix-Tape was still just a concept, before construction ever started, we reached out to Crossing the Chasm to help us look at the experience from the vantage point of people with different abilities,” says Kelsey Karper, Factory Obscura co-founder and director of logistical creativity. “It was important to us that even if everyone couldn’t have an identical experience, we could at least build with the intention that everyone would leave the experience with the same outcome.”

With that in mind, our artist team attended hours of training with Crossing the Chasm – a local consulting firm that helps museums and other attractions with accessibility issues – to learn about Universal Design concepts, ADA guidelines, and other accessibility considerations. Beyond the basics of accessible parking, ramps, and restrooms, Karper says that the training informed the layout and design of every space before any walls went up.

The result is an immersive art experience that is not only largely ADA wheelchair compliant, but also designed so that people with blindness, hearing impairment, autism, and other abilities can all enjoy the wonder that is Mix-Tape.

“So for instance we asked ourselves questions like, ‘What does angst sound like?’ and ‘What textures and colors do we think of as joyful?’,” says Tammy Greenman, Factory Obscura co-founder and director of strategic creativity. “Then we made intentional use of music, color, ambient sounds, vibrations, textures, and more to create the most meaningful experience possible for the most human beings possible.”