Music you can see and touch — even if you can’t hear

Israeli sound engineer’s social business uses sand and water to capture motion of soundwaves, enabling people with hearing impairment to enjoy music.

Have you ever felt the vibrations of clashing cymbals or banging drums? An Israeli dad invented ingenious ways to channel those soundwaves into water or sand, creating an extraordinary visual and tactile musical experience.

Mordechai Braunstein’s CyMagic uses no algorithms or fancy technology. It’s simple physics: the natural effect of sound on matter.

“We use big bowls of water and colorful flashing lights that change according to sound, so you can see and touch soundwaves,” Braunstein says. “You can speak and see the effect of your voice on water. It’s an interactive discovery.”

Braunstein, 36, often uses his art to enable hearing-impaired children to enjoy live music.

A CyMagic show in collaboration with the Israeli Chamber Music Orchestra, “Touching the Sounds with Beethoven,” won the Israel Accessibility Award in 2018.
In 2019, CyMagic was nominated and won the International Sound Award.