sign language media artist inter-art, media, video, poetry, calligraphy, storytelling, performance, sign language

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"Liberated from Signoclasm"

None in the audience knew a sign language yet this performance visually presented a powerful voice. It is about the history of phonocentrism and signoclasm (coined by the artist myself). Like iconoclasm, signoclasm is referred to the prohibition of using sign language through coercion or oppression.

Jolanta Lapiak
Performance, 11 May 2007
Interakcje 2007: International Performance Art Festival
Galeria OFF, Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland

The performance Liberated from Signaclasm was presented in American Sign Language (ASL) in front of the audience of performers from around the world and viewers) at Interakcje 2007 (International Performance Art Festival) at Galeria OFF in Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland on 11 May 2007.

Selected words were torn out of the yellowish pages of an old dictionary and they were individually crumbled. The crumbled pages were pushed into my mouth in reference to the historical coercion of orality against manually speaking (or sign language). My body's rejection then purged them out of my mouth. The crumbles then were burnt for freedom.

Related posts: Unleashed from Phonocentrism.

Barbwire and Bloodstain of Word

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