“let’s listen with our eyes and not our ears.” This piece by Todd Selby really spoke to its audience about sound through the life of a deaf person. It’s amazing how we never really realize that having certain senses is meaningless to us just because we have it. And this person has made a form of art with something she never had.
In the past I’ve seen people create different art pieces with sound such as creating shapes with sand on top of loudspeakers. But none of those people were deaf. Christine had trouble with sound and communicating while she was growing up and how she was always told to be quiet. She had learned to respect other peoples sound and stayed out of their way. But in this video she explained how she took sound and made it hers. She is very aware that there is sound surrounding her everywhere. And since she can’t hear it she sees it instead. She knew walking in the crowded streets in the city had to have a lot of noise. She records it to later be able to see it through her art.
Her approach to art has made me think differently about art. I always knew there were so many different forms of art that i havnt even thought would be possible and this one was beautiful in a new form. Watching her video made me think about how independent she is. From the start where she lives on her own and seems to have herself put together very well to walking in the streets confidently. I didn’t even know she was deaf until she explained. And with her art, she’s not trying to prove anything to anyone. She’s just showing what sound is to her and it’s all for her. When she started playing her recording of the street sounds, it was almost as if she wanted to see what the sound around her was not too long ago when she was standing there. She makes sound visible with her work. As she explains how her work deals with physicality of sound, you can see how she made sound waves appear through the strings she had attached to the speakers.
Having had all my senses growing up I can only imagine what its like to not be able to hear. But when Christine said to let’s listen with our eyes and not our ears, it made me think a lot. I watched the video for a second time but this time on mute. Just to see and not hear what a street sounds look like. Its so creative and simple what she does with sound. She turns it into a visibly seen object. She even created paintings with the pins dipped in ink to test out different objects and sounds. Christine depends on her technology and use of machines to create a visual sound for herself. And it amazing to think that we have so much more around us that we don’t pay attention to or think about. This type of art makes me think about how each piece has a significant connection to the artist and has a very oud message for its audience.
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