The enchanting music of sign language | Christine Sun Kim

New Section

This section discusses the meaning of the musical symbol "p" and its significance in playing softly.

The Symbol "p" and Playing Softly

• The symbol "p" is a musical notation that indicates playing softly.

• When encountering a "p" in the score, musicians need to play with reduced volume.

• Multiple instances of "p" indicate an even softer playing style.

• Four consecutive "p's" signify an extremely soft sound.

New Section

In this section, the concept of silence is explored, along with the speaker's personal definition and perspective on sound.

Silence and Sound Perception

• The speaker presents their drawing of a "p-tree," illustrating that complete silence cannot be achieved no matter how many soft sounds are produced.

• The speaker defines silence as an obscure sound rather than complete absence of sound.

• The speaker reflects on their previous belief that sound was not part of their life as a deaf person but now realizes it was always present in various ways.

• Living in a world dominated by sound, the speaker compares themselves to someone living in a foreign country blindly following its rules without questioning them.

New Section

This section provides insights into the history of American Sign Language (ASL) and the speaker's personal background.

History of ASL and Personal Background

• French sign language influenced ASL during the early 1800s when it mixed with local signs, resulting in its evolution into ASL as known today.

• ASL has a history of approximately 200 years.

• The speaker shares that they were born deaf and initially believed sound was not part of their life.

• However, they now realize that sound has always been present in their thoughts and daily experiences.

New Section

This section explores how the speaker, as a deaf individual, understands and interacts with sound through observation and mirroring behaviors.

Understanding Sound as a Deaf Person

• The speaker explains that they understand sound by observing how people behave and respond to it.

• They consider hearing individuals as their "loudspeakers" who amplify sound, allowing them to learn and mirror those behaviors.

• Additionally, the speaker recognizes their ability to create sounds themselves and observes how others respond to them.

• They provide examples of "sound etiquette," such as not slamming doors or making excessive noise while eating.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses their heightened awareness of sound-related matters and their anticipation around future sounds.

Hyper-Vigilance Around Sound

• The speaker admits being hyper-vigilant about sound-related issues.

• They are always eagerly anticipating future sounds and waiting for what comes next.

• The drawing presented represents an eager nervous anticipation around upcoming sounds with the abbreviation "TBD" meaning "to be decided."

New Section

This section delves into the significance of movement in Deaf culture and its equivalence to sound.

Movement as Sound in Deaf Culture

• In Deaf culture, movement is considered equivalent to sound.

• The speaker demonstrates the sign for "staff" in ASL, highlighting how signing involves physical movement.

• They explain that while a typical staff has five lines, they prefer drawing four lines as it feels more natural to them.

New Section

This section discusses the speaker's exploration of sound in their art practice and its impact on their perception of art.

Sound in Art Practice

• During an artist residency in Berlin, the speaker had the opportunity to explore sound as part of their art practice.

• They previously worked primarily as a painter but noticed a lack of visual art and an emphasis on auditory experiences during museum visits.

• The speaker decided to incorporate sound into their artwork and realized that sound could be experienced beyond just hearing, such as through touch or visually.

• They received significant support and attention from the art community when presenting this new body of work.

New Section

This section explores the power dynamics associated with sound and its potential impact on the speaker's artwork.

Power Dynamics of Sound

• The speaker reflects on feeling that sound was primarily associated with hearing individuals and initially believed it could disempower them and their artwork.

• However, they came to realize that sound can also empower them by reclaiming ownership over it and incorporating it into their artistic practice.

The Importance of Spoken Language Culture

The speaker discusses the significance of spoken language culture and how society perceives individuals who do not use their literal voice to communicate.

Spoken Language Culture and Voicelessness

• In society's eyes, not using one's literal voice to communicate can make it seem as if the individual has no voice at all.

• The speaker emphasizes the need for support from others who can act as their equal and become their voice.

ASL Interpreters as Voices

• The speaker relies on working with various ASL interpreters in different settings such as school, work, and institutions.

• These interpreters' voices become the speaker's voice and identity, helping them be heard.

• By borrowing these interpreters' voices, the speaker maintains a temporary form of social currency.

Exploring Sound as an Art Medium

The speaker delves into their exploration of sound as a new art medium and draws parallels between music and American Sign Language (ASL).

Similarities Between Music and ASL

• Music and ASL share similarities in terms of capturing concepts that cannot be fully expressed on paper or through written language.

• Both music and ASL are highly spatial and inflected, where subtle changes can significantly impact meaning.

Understanding ASL through a Musical Lens

• The speaker presents a piano metaphor to explain how ASL works, highlighting its different grammatical parameters.

• While English is linear like playing one key at a time on a piano, ASL is more like playing a chord with all fingers coming down simultaneously to express clear concepts or ideas.

Visual Music in ASL

The speaker explores the concept of visual music in ASL and demonstrates how signs can be repeated and slowed down to create a musical-like experience.

Creating Visual Music

• By repeating and slowing down signs, they can become like pieces of visual music.

• Examples include using the sign for "day" to represent the rising and setting of the sun, visually resembling a piece of music.

• Different variations of signs for "all day" and "all night" showcase how repetition and speed impact the visual musicality.

Expressing Time in ASL

The speaker discusses how time is expressed in ASL through spatial representation and distance from the body.

Spatial Representation of Time

• In ASL, time is expressed through changes in distance from the body, with different hand configurations representing past, present, and future.

• Various signs such as "a long time ago," "past," "used to," and "once upon a time" demonstrate how distance expresses changes in time.

Musical Interpretation of "Common Time"

The speaker provides a musical interpretation of the term "common time" by associating it with simultaneous actions.

Musical Interpretation

• While "common time" is a musical term referring to four beats per measure, the speaker associates it with actions happening at the same time in ASL.

• They use right hand (RH) and left hand (LH) gestures to illustrate this concept.

New Section

In this section, the speaker demonstrates hand shapes in American Sign Language (ASL) and explains their meanings.

Flash Claw Hand Shape

• The speaker introduces a hand shape called the "flash claw" in ASL.

• They invite the audience to follow along with them.

• The hand shape is performed with both hands up, simultaneously moving the head and chest. It resembles "common time" or being in sync.

International Sign Language

• The speaker mentions that "to fall in love" is expressed using this hand shape in International Sign Language. This language serves as a visual tool for communication across different sign languages worldwide.

Colonization and Enlightenment Hand Shapes

• The speaker introduces two more hand shapes: one representing "colonization" and another representing "enlightenment." They demonstrate these hand shapes and encourage the audience to follow along.

• The sign for "colonization" elicits laughter from the audience.

• These three signs (falling in love, colonization, enlightenment) are similar as they involve movements around the head and chest but convey distinct meanings. ASL is shown to be a vibrant language like music.

New Section

In this section, the speaker discusses how ASL lacks social currency due to living in an audio-centric world.

Audio-Centric Society

• The speaker acknowledges that we live in an audio-centric world where sound holds social currency. As ASL does not have sound, it is often undervalued socially.

• There is a need to redefine social currency and recognize ASL's unique form of communication without sound.

• By allowing ASL to develop its own currency, we can work towards a more inclusive society.

Breaking Stereotypes

• The speaker emphasizes that learning ASL is not limited to deaf individuals and that anyone can learn it, just as anyone can learn music regardless of hearing ability.

Invitation to Experience ASL

• The speaker invites the audience to open their ears and eyes, participate in Deaf culture, and experience the richness of ASL as a visual language. They express hope that others may fall in love with ASL as well.