Christine Sun Kim: The enchanting music of sign language
金順克(音譯): 手語也能發出迷人聲音
Through visual art, composition and performance, Christine Sun Kim explores ways of transmuting sound and silence. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
is my favorite musical symbol.
“p" 是我最喜歡的音樂符號。
and you notice a "p" in the score,
注意到樂譜上有一個 p,
upon thousands of p's there may be,
of American Sign Language, ASL,
to America during the early 1800s,
傳播到了美國,
mixed with local signs,
它融入了當地的手語元素,
we know today as ASL.
即 ASL 美國手語。
that sound wasn't a part of my life.
聲音不是我生活的一部分。
that that wasn't the case at all.
in a world of sound,
有聲世界中的失聰者,
in a foreign country,
陌生的國度,
customs, behaviors and norms
行為習慣和準則,
behave and respond to sound.
and amplify sound.
你們好像擴大了聲音。
I've learned that I create sound,
我知道了我也可以創造聲音,
對我發出的聲音的反應。
you're eating from the potato-chip bag!"
不要發出太大的聲音!」
your utensils on the plate."
I term "sound etiquette."
in eager nervous anticipation
already contain sound
已經包含了聲音,
movement is equivalent to sound.
動作與聲音同等重要。
「五線譜」的手勢。
with my thumb sticking up like that
把拇指向上比出這種形狀
I stick to four lines on paper.
to travel to Berlin, Germany,
I had been working as a painter.
different museums and gallery spaces,
我參觀了很多博物館和畫廊。
and this struck me ...
我突然才意識到,
distance me from art?
have to be the case at all.
just experienced through the ears.
那樣捕獲它。
taught regarding sound,
「聲音不屬我」的言論,
to the art community,
of support and attention I received.
that sound was your thing,
聲音是屬於你們的,
disempower me and my artwork,
around spoken language.
my literal voice to communicate,
it's as if I don't have a voice at all.
who can support me as an equal
平等對待我的人一起工作,
relevancy in society today.
different ASL interpreters.
my voice and identity.
並成為我的身分。
和(社交)貨幣。
a temporary form of currency,
with a very high interest rate.
fade off into oblivion
any form of social currency.
the similarities between music and ASL.
音樂與手語之間的聯繫。
and expressed on paper.
for a concept in ASL.
and highly inflected --
和複雜多變的性質——
a piano metaphor,
有關鋼琴的比喻,
understanding of how ASL works.
many different grammatical parameters.
to each finger as you play the piano --
分配為琴鍵上的不同手指,
to come down simultaneously
were to change the chord,
different meaning.
in regards to pitch, tone and volume.
different grammatical parameters,
through a musical lens?"
來看 ASL 會怎樣?
and repeat it over and over,
like a piece of visual music.
這是「一天」的手勢,
for "all night."
represented in this drawing.
about three different kinds of nights:
a lot more musicality than the other two.
is expressed in ASL
ASL 表達時間的方式,
can express the changes in time.
可以表達不同時間變化。
2H 是兩隻手。
and in front of the body,
and the past is to your back.
而過去式在身後。
is "a long time ago."
「很久很久以前」,
and dramatic notion to it,
of four beats per measure.
is "at the same time."
「於此同時」這個詞。
LH 是左手,
across the head and the chest.
a hand shape called the "flash claw."
閃動手掌這個手勢。
in both the head and the chest,
or at the same time.
in International [Sign].
around the world.
to demonstrate is this --
are very similar,
how ASL is alive and thriving,
about what defines social currency
社交貨幣的意義,
its own form of currency --
to lead to a more inclusive society.
to be deaf to learn ASL,
to learn music.
to have the same experience.
to open your ears,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Christine Sun Kim - Sound artist, composerThrough visual art, composition and performance, Christine Sun Kim explores ways of transmuting sound and silence.
Why you should listen
Christine Sun Kim uses the medium of sound through technology and conceptualism in art, as it enables her to have the most direct connection to society at large.
She rationalizes and reframes her relationship with sound and spoken languages by using audience’s voice as her own, conducting a group of people to sing with facial movements (rather than sound), composing visual scores with sign language and musical symbols. These attempts are made to raise questions on ownership of sound, explore oral languages as social currency, deconstruct preconceived ideas about silence, and above all, unlearn sound etiquette.
As part of her practice, Kim borrows other people’s voices in order to have one and she does it by collaborating with artists such as Devonté Hynes, Thomas Benno Mader, Wolfgang Müller and Alison O’Daniel. Selected exhibitions and performances include: Sound Live Tokyo, Tokyo; White Space, Beijing; LEAP, Berlin; Carroll / Fletcher, London; nyMusikk, Oslo; Andquestionmark, Stockholm; Southern Exposure, San Francisco; Recess Activities, New York; Calder Foundation, New York; and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Additionally, she was a recipient of Artist Residency at Whitney Museum, Haverford College, Southern Exposure, Arnolfini, University of Texas’ Visual Arts Center and Fellowship at TED and MIT Media Lab.
Christine Sun Kim | Speaker | TED.com