Beautiful sight and sound in the cultural darkness
Three arts institutions hold an event to highlight creative opportunities for an overlooked and underserved segment of the population, Zhang Lei reports.
The Making of the Audio-described Hé, jointly produced by the British Council, the Scottish Dance Theater and the Shanghai International Dance Center, explores the relationship between humans, nature and the environment. The special oral video version, voiced by the Chinese choreographer Wang Yabin, is made for the visually/hearing impaired, creating the possibility of equal enjoyment of art. During the production, two oral video consultants, Joey Zhu Junyi, who is visually impaired, and Tianna Tian Yunfan, who uses a wheelchair, devoted themselves to improving the writing and narration of the oral script from a unique perspective, helping to dictate integrated text and images. The short film records the process of the pair discussing the finiteness of language and the infiniteness of the body, and reflects their life forces.
In another short film, Know Deaf, the heroine Lili has lost her hearing after having a fever as a child. When she grows up she is committed to giving voice to the hearing impaired, especially projects that support hearing impaired children. This summer Lili was invited by the producer to serve as a charity planner. With the mentor Chen Si'an and teaching assistants, she took part in the completion of Snail Post Office, a writing and drama workshop for hearing-impaired children and adolescents in Chongqing.