An innovative, curated exhibition on deafness, the importance of language, and language as home, '1880 THAT' refers to the conference of the same year which sidelined sign language in schools.
This powerful exhibition by Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader confronts the legacy of the 1880 Milan Conference, where hearing educators banned sign language in Deaf schools. The title fuses the historical date with ASL's emphatic "THAT," underscoring the ongoing fight for linguistic and disabled rights.
The historic 1880 Milan Conference marked a pivotal moment in Deaf education when a predominantly hearing assembly declared that oralism, teaching Deaf individuals to rely solely on speech and lip-reading, should replace sign language in schools. Notably, Alexander Graham Bell, a vocal proponent of oral education, championed this approach, which prioritized assimilation over linguistic and cultural identity.
With no Deaf representatives present to advocate for sign language, the conference's rulings led to the widespread suppression of signing in classrooms. This marginalization had devastating consequences, fostering stigma and exclusion for generations of Deaf individuals who were denied access to their natural, visual language.
Today, the site of the Milan Conference bears no official recognition of this discriminatory legacy. In response, artists Christine Sun Kim and Thomas Mader have created a series of commemorative bricks, symbolizing both the literal foundations of the building and the cornerstones of language itself. Their work cleverly bridges the past and present, using wit and metaphor to critique how linguistic oppression shapes identity.
Through a mixed media of film, sculpture, and interactive installations, 1880 THAT confronts this history while reimagining communication as a fundamental human right. The exhibition challenges viewers to consider new possibilities for cross-linguistic understanding, celebrating Deaf resilience and the enduring power of sign languages worldwide.