Chisato Minamimura (JP/GB)

Forgotten, isolated, overlooked – “Scored in Silence” is dedicated to the previously hidden stories of deaf survivors of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. During these devastating events and their catastrophic consequences, the deaf inhabitants of the region experienced additional discrimination due to their isolation from Japanese society and lack of access to information.

The multi-sensory solo performance in sign language is based on original film footage and interviews with “hibakusha”, as the survivors of the atomic bombs are known. The interplay of text, gestures, visual effects, light and sound, which is made tangible with the help of bass belts, enables an intensive retracing of the lost stories and gives a voice to the isolated members of Japanese society.

Born in Japan and based in England, Chisato Minamimura is a performance artist, choreographer and dancer. Trained at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance in London, Minamimura approaches choreography and performance from her perspective as a deaf artist experimenting with the visualisation of sound and music. Through the use of dance and technology, she allows the audience to participate in her own sensory perception.

The performance is presented with audio description for blind people.

The performance will be followed by an artist talk.
Presentation: Tessa Theisen – Institut für Theater- und Medienwissenschaft, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg

There is a content note for this production under ‘Accessibility’.