The Sugar Factory (album) documentary film by German filmmaker Thomas Riedelsheimer about profoundly deaf Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie and how she hears with her body. In 2003 Riedelsheimer asked English experimental musician Fred Frith to perform with Glennie in the film; Frith had previously worked with Riedelsheimer on the soundtrack for his 2001 documentary, "Rivers and Tides". Frith and Glennie performed in an abandoned sugar factory in Dormagen, Germany in July 2003, and were filmed under the pretext of "making a record". This was the first time that Frith and Glennie had worked together, and their entire performance was improvised. For the purpose of
Evelyn Glennie the ceremony for lighting the Olympic cauldron. Glennie has been profoundly deaf since the age of 12, having started to lose her hearing from the age of 8. This does not inhibit her ability to perform at an international level. She regularly plays barefoot during both live performances and studio recordings to feel the music better. Glennie contends that deafness is largely misunderstood by the public. She claims to have taught herself to hear with parts of her body other than her ears. In response to what she described as mostly inaccurate reporting by the media, Glennie published "Hearing Essay"