Talk: The PhotoSYNTH and accessible music making
This event is part of the Royal Society's Summer Science Exhibition 2025.
Music is fundamental to the human experience, but people with disabilities who aren't able to play a traditional instrument are often excluded from making music.
Zen Olenski and Tim Yates will discuss the work they're doing to address this by trying to ensure that everyone has an instrument they can play. Zen will explain how he uses the latest face recognition technology to create the PhotoSYNTH that makes music from facial expressions, and Tim will discuss some of the other amazing accessible instruments that are out there. Prepare to have your assumptions about musical instruments blown away.
Zen Olenski and Tim Yates are part of Smile Powered Pop Music with PhotoSYNTH main exhibit.
Attending the event
The talk will be held in the Dining room on Wednesday 2 July 2025, 2pm – 2.30pm.
- Free to attend, no ticket required
- The room has limited capacity, so we recommend that visitors arrive at least 10-15 minutes before the talks. We operate a first-come, first-served policy
- The talk will take place in person at the Royal Society and will also be livestreamed on the Royal Society YouTube channel
- Live subtitles will be available in-person and virtually
- Suitable for students (14+)
- Travel and accessibility information and details on planning your visit - contact us directly to arrange any specific accessibility requirements
- Food and drink will be available for purchase at our onsite café
For all enquiries, please email us.