Silent Talk


2012

Performance with deaf language


„Silent Talk“ is about the communication, understanding, misunderstanding and the moment.


Two deaf performer standing on pedestals, dressed in black. The are starting a conversation in sign language about visitors as soon as they enter the room. Meanwhile all the mimik and hand gesture is recorded by the cameras and send to the monitors in the second room. The translators in the second room are dressed black and standing on pedestals like a mirrored situation from room one. They are observing the monitors and translating the conversation from deaf performer in room one.

The room one is full of conversation but silent, room two has a verbal conversation but only the translation from room one so that the visitor only can be late to get an information about what the deaf performer could have talked about him or her.


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当人们进入第一个场景时,看到的是两位立在站台上的身着黑衣的手语者。手语者之间用他们的语言相互交谈,而手语的意义在观者间难以抵达,整个场景充满了交谈却没有声音。人们接着进入下一个场景,这里出现的空间仿佛是上一个空间的复制:同样地置放着的两个站台和立在站台上的两位身着黑衣的表现者(Performer)。不同的是,第二个场景中的表现者正在用语言交谈,观者对表现者的语言理解成为可能,而观者也将在此领悟到刚刚发生了的事件:第一个场景中的手语者讲述的是他们看到的行动着的观者,即刻的手语录影传送到第二个空间,被第二个场景中的表现者-即手语翻译者翻译成语音语言。

“如果人们研究、讨论、分析一个现实,人们分析的是它在我们的精神中和记忆中出现的那种状况。人们只在过去的时间中认识现实”。(*米兰昆德拉)第二个场景是第一个场景的记忆,和被翻译过的已发事件。观者被迫复苏记忆,在此刻印证过去。

在观者的沉浸和醒悟中,第二个场景呈现了一个关于“现在”的时间体验。在本雅明看来,现在最为重要,“现在不是某种过渡,现在意味着时间的停顿与静止” 。“现在”在本雅明的定义中是把一个看做透入了弥赛亚式时间的碎片的“当下时间”的概念。在其看来,历史事件的意义不在于探解未来而在于与当下联系,以现在为立足点的对过去的理解给我们弥赛亚式的力量。

作品中分割出的两个空间,是试图对时间切割的结果;呈现的两个场景,无形中含括了观者自身,提供了一场从迷惑到顿悟,过去到现在,遗忘到记忆的综合体验。作品中的语言的转译,语言的误读同样也是艺术家关注的问题。


Lico Fang

room 1 (deaf performer talking about visitors) / room 2 (deaf language translator translating the conversation from room 1

screenshots from the live stream, which was recorded in room 1

"More conception - Konzeption now " at Museum Morsbroich Leverkusen (2015)