Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson shares how the FaT OuT 2025 programme is collaborating with artists and tech partners to make music and visual art more accessible.

Her lightning talk will highlight FaT OuT’s evolving approach to accessibility;  from using BEAT BLOCKS haptic dancefloors to create musical experiences for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences, to exploring empathy through VR collaborations with transgender artist TS Daemon, allowing participants to experience life through the lens of a visibly queer person.

Emma will also discuss ambitions to use immersive spaces like AIX to create intimate, inclusive spaces for large-scale events such as Homobloc and The Warehouse Project. 

The talk invites new collaborations and challenges audiences to rethink inclusion in live and immersive art.

About Emma

Emma Thompson is the co-director of From the Other, an organisation producing innovative music commissions and live events, and the umbrella for three Salford-based initiatives: FaT OuT (founder), Samarbeta Music Residency (co-founder), and Sounds from the Other City. For over 15 years, she has championed the underground music and arts scene, supporting queer artists and fostering platforms for experimentation and collaboration. Emma creates inclusive, safe spaces where grassroots artists can develop and realize their most ambitious work, particularly through events and festivals that celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community.