Installation | 2019

Can you hear my hands? Can I indulge you in a silent conversation?

Look. Beyond what you see everyday. Through your eyes. Through mine.

Hear in profound silence. Let’s meet in the middle.

In trying to be ‘politically correct’, the hearing world have labeled the Deaf as having an impairment, a medical condition that needs to be fixed. Whereas, the Deaf don’t see deafness as a disability. It is who they are. It is their identity and they wear it on their sleeves with pride.

Silent Conversations, a photo-film-AR installation commissioned by Dubai Culture for the Sikka Art Fair 2019, invites the viewer into the world of the Deaf, rich with its own language and culture. The installation consists of a series of 5 black and white photographs. Through ARIA, a cutting edge Augmented Reality (AR) App, the photographs transforms into silent animated videos of poetry interpreted in various Sign languages.

In addition to the installation, the experience was augmented with Happenings peppered around the Sikka Art Fair venue at Al Fahidi Historical District. The Happenings, a collaboration with Sharjah based FALAJ, consisted of mini performances directed by the artist using actors from the Deaf community.

Culturally inclusive, Silent Conversations is an attempt to initiate conversations and bridge the gap between the Hearing and Deaf worlds.

“My grandmother and mother both have otosclerosis – a type of conductive deafness. My mother’s was rectified partially through surgery. My grandmother couldn’t be helped and she’s had to spend the majority of her life resenting her deafness. Around 4 years ago I met other deaf people through volunteering. What fascinated me the most was how they communicated in sign language. As a trained Indian classical dancer and theatre professional, I use gestural language to tell stories. Perhaps because of my leaning, Sign language appeared to me like a beautiful, expressive dance. Today I see the Hearing and the Deaf as two worlds, separated only by culture and language. By sensitizing hearing people to this idea and exposing them to the beauty of sign language and Deaf culture, maybe our worlds can come closer?”