"Sign language is an entirely different medium from spoken language, though both are embodied and occupy phonic and physical dimensions. I asked myself what new aesthetic might emerge from combining them."
"The complex songs of humpbacks are often compared to human languages, yet their communication is much older. This mystery suggested a greater, almost utopian world."
"We wanted to recall this incredible story of whale songs as art. One strand references, for instance, the sign language of Indigenous Americans dating back to 1400 BCE."
The exploration of sign language as a distinct medium from spoken language opens new aesthetic possibilities. A project involving a choir and choreography inspired by marine life reflects on the communication of humpback whales. The performance captures the duality of underwater and surface worlds, echoing the complexity of whale songs. This artistic endeavor aims to highlight the sentience of whales and their communication, drawing parallels with human languages and historical sign language practices, including Indigenous American sign language.
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