A world full of noise

Sarah Marsh on a celebration of Deaf culture

Deaf Gathering Cymru offered four days of events, activities, conversations and performances. Image: Grace Springer

Last Autumn I had the pleasure of attending the festival Deaf Gathering Cymru in Cardiff. I’d been invited by performance artist Jonny Cotsen to talk about my book, A Sign Of Her Own, but I took the opportunity to stay for the weekend. It was a chance to meet deaf readers but also to be in a deaf-friendly environment. I grew up deaf and entering such spaces is a precious experience. The clamour of daily life in the hearing world means I normally use hearing aids and lipreading to get by: and getting by is what it often feels like at best. The world, full as it is of noise, tells me in a variety of ways that it would simply be more convenient if I could just, well, hear.

The festival was held in the Chapter Arts Centre, and it was clear when I arrived that the place had been reconfigured for the occasion. Not by props, furniture or scenery but by something less tangible; a unique principle of Deaf culture, its visual nature. Around me people were signing, standing in groups that allowed for easy eye-contact and sightlines. Text and captions scrolled across screens and a team of BSL interpreters kept abreast of a packed rota of events. The programme and set-up had been carefully planned to allow visual communication to flourish, but also the variety of modes that deaf and hard of hearing people use. I sensed I was in a welcoming space where language could be seen as much — if not more — than it could be heard. Relieved, I turned off my hearing aids, and didn’t bother with them for the rest of the weekend.

My first workshop was led by deaf musician Ruth Montgomery. Using BSL and her flute, Ruth explained the key elements of music — tempo, melody, harmony — to a largely deaf audience. Deaf drummer Miriam Dubois added rhythmic volume to Ruth’s music. Occasionally, Ruth asked the interpreter to step in and make visual translations of what she was playing. This was done, a little experimentally, through hand motions and gesture, tracing the notes in the air.