A Kind of Vanishing
“…her boots were thin and soft” – A Kind of Vanishing
This research-led inquiry deconstructs an historic Essex incident through a deaf perspective. The story of an unnamed deaf man in the late 19th century who does not register in official documentation until drawn into a destructive dispute, it is also an exploration of how deaf people's life experiences are often retained in mainstream history only through the accounts and historical records of hearing people.
The research utilises documentation from Essex Record Office (ERO) and historic newspaper accounts of the incident to explore the distortions of the hearing gaze. I draw on my own and others lived D/deaf experience to rebalance accepted historical interpretations of the story, and to question current official approaches to culture, language and access.
The final outcome is presented as a written text, available on FPG's website alongside a filmed BSL translation (interpreted by Karen Gager) and a dyslexia-friendly text-only version. For this project, I worked with the support of Essex Record Office, to which project outcomes will be submitted, helping to build their nascent collection of BSL documentation connected to the county.
This research-led inquiry deconstructs an historic Essex incident through a deaf perspective. The story of an unnamed deaf man in the late 19th century who does not register in official documentation until drawn into a destructive dispute, it is also an exploration of how deaf people's life experiences are often retained in mainstream history only through the accounts and historical records of hearing people.
The research utilises documentation from Essex Record Office (ERO) and historic newspaper accounts of the incident to explore the distortions of the hearing gaze. I draw on my own and others lived D/deaf experience to rebalance accepted historical interpretations of the story, and to question current official approaches to culture, language and access.
The final outcome is presented as a written text, available on FPG's website alongside a filmed BSL translation (interpreted by Karen Gager) and a dyslexia-friendly text-only version. For this project, I worked with the support of Essex Record Office, to which project outcomes will be submitted, helping to build their nascent collection of BSL documentation connected to the county.
A Kind of Vanishing was developed as a “New Histories” commission between 2021 and 2023. The East Contemporary Visual Art Network (ECVAN) launched New Histories, (funded by Arts Council England) to explore new regional histories from diverse communities across the East of England. It was produced by Focal Point Gallery, a member of ECVAN.