The Essay
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Chisato Minamimura
A five-part series of essays that explore the dichotomy between being a deaf professional and working with music. Each essayist tells their own story from across the deaf spectrum, including a sign language performer with a passion for musicals, a violinist who switched to classical piano after a cochlear implant, and a flautist who uses visual art to describe music to deaf children. From horn players to punchy performance artists, all of the essayists consider music from a deaf perspective with illuminating results. Chisato Minamimura shares her journey of exploring sound and music. Growing up in Japan before later moving to the UK, Chisato lost her hearing at seven months, yet despite this she learned the piano - becoming the star pupil. Inspired by artists like John Cage and Tōru Takemitsu, Chisato delves into the concept of sound and music from a deaf perspective. She details how she began creating visual scores based on mathematical algorithms, turning dancers into her instruments. And she explains how she innovates new ways to interact with sound, such as feeling vibrations with her teeth or using Woojer strap to create multi-sensory experiences. Throughout her work, she invites audiences to explore the rich tapestry of sound and music through a deaf lens, opening up new possibilities for artistic expression. Dreaming of experiencing phenomena like whale songs first hand, Chisato imagines translating these experiences into tactile vibrations, further expanding her exploration of sound. A Different Way to Listen is produced by Sophie Allen and Emma Glassar with Mark Rickards as Executive Producer. It is a Flashing Lights Media production for BBC Radio 3. A British Sign Language version was filmed, edited and subtitled by Fifi Garfield.
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