Step away from a hearing-centred world and immerse yourself in a world of art crafted from British Sign Language, where films, performance, and installations portray BSL as a living entity.
Cathy Mager’s groundbreaking installation "Finger Talk" reorients the gallery experience through British Sign Language (BSL), immersing visitors in deaf culture’s visual poetry. At its core, a circular projection space pulses with performers recounting a universal story of loss and connection through Visual Vernacular, a dynamic blend of sign language and expressive mime. Their movements unfold against animated backdrops of donated audiograms, transforming clinical hearing tests into collective art.
The work breathes life into hidden histories: 17th-century finger-spelling booklets, rediscovered as acts of deaf self-representation, share space with rare archival films of BSL conversations at picnics and sporting events, glimpses of a vibrant community often erased from mainstream narratives. A bespoke soundscape, crafted by deaf musicians using natural textures and vibrations, prioritizes accessibility for hearing aid users while inviting all audiences to feel sound physically through wearable vibration vests.
More than an exhibition, "Finger Talk" is a manifesto, celebrating BSL not as accommodation but as a rich, evolving language that demands space, attention, and joy. Here, deaf perspectives architect the encounter, offering hearing visitors a rare chance to dwell in a world where hands speak volumes and silence sings.