Hi there,
Welcome to our Enhancing Audio Description Newsletter, where we’ll keep you updated on our latest events, podcast releases, and research progress.
DARCI 2025 Conference News
We’re excited to share updates about our upcoming DARCI 2025 conference, scheduled for September 10–12 at the University of York’s School of Arts and Creative Technologies.
Our full programme is available on our website, with this link you can find a PDF and a Word file to download. Please note that the programme might change so always make sure you are looking at the latest version which is the one on the website.
Registration is now open, with early bird registration closing on June 30th, 2025. Tickets can be booked on Ticketsolve.
DARCI Podcast and Blog Posts
Since our last newsletter, we’ve released two new DARCI podcast episodes.
In last month’s episode, you can hear Sarah McDonagh talk about her work specialising in media accessibility, cultural heritage and sustainability. In this month’s episode you can listen to Nwando Ebizie, an unclassifiable polymath, British Nigerian multidisciplinary artist who creates afrofuturist speculative fictions and alternate realities at the intersection of live art, experimental music, and multisensory installations. Read the accompanying transcriptions on our website using the hyperlinks provided above or find these episodes on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
In addition to podcast episodes, we’ve published a new blog post. In the post titled Attending ARSAD in Barcelona, Chaimae reflects on her very first time at the ARSAD (Advanced Research Seminar on Audio Description) Conference in Barcelona, which took place from the 19th to the 21st of March 2025. In another new blog post, Kris updates us on his research study using sound to convey cinematographic elements.
Research News
We’re excited to welcome Mario Vallejo Reyes and Patrick Cairns to our team!
Mario is conducting listening tests to refine an intelligent renderer, focusing on reverb perception that can be used in EAD applications. His work aims to enhance audio immersion and accessibility. Patrick is developing automated mixing tools that can be used by EAD producers. He’s working on machine learning methods for tagging content and a VST plugin to streamline production.
Thanks!