deaf not silent examines seeing as hearing and brings together experiences of deaf and hearing in the CBD.
Become immersed in an alternative perception.
See the parallel worlds and listen.

When you watch these three women, what do you see? Who are they? What are they saying?

Anne, Scarlette and Gabrielle are communicating their experiences and feelings about their city in Auslan (Australian Sign Language).

Anne is a well-known member of the Melbourne Deaf community. Anne is Deaf, an excellent teacher and is quite partial to shopping.

Scarlette is a Hearing signer, but also a member of the Deaf community. Scarlette loves singing as well as signing and she can draw pretty well too.

Gabrielle is a Hearing signer, even though she wears hearing aids. Gabrielle loves reading, but really she prefers the waffles around the corner.

All three have an awareness of sound and silence, an awareness of language as another perception, an awareness shared by people who have knowledge of more than one language.

On any given day in the CBD, thousands of souls exist alone or in company, hearing with their own eyes. You are right now. How does the city make you feel? Do you feel differently about it in different languages? Do you understand what these women are saying?

Sign language is not universal. The signs that Anne, Scarlette and Gabrielle use to express their ideas are not the same as those used by a signer of Langue des Signes Française. Sign languages are not simply mime or gesture; they have evolved naturally within Deaf communities and have the same capacity for expression as spoken languages.