A digital solo performance – an artistic documentary shedding light on the untold stories of Deaf Hibakusha (survivors of the 1945 atomic bomb detonations in Hiroshima and Nagasaki). Through live performance, sign mime, animation, and archival footage, Deaf Japanese survivors recall their direct experiences of these tragic events and share how their lives were altered forever. The piece features projected 3D animation and an immersive soundscape, delivered to the audience through cutting-edge visual and haptic technology via vibrating body straps. Scored in Silence is a uniquely original work of art offering new ways to experience, understand, and learn from atomic warfare – and why history must never repeat itself.
Chisato Minamimura
A London-based Japanese Deaf performance artist, dancer, choreographer, and British Sign Language (BSL) art guide. Her portfolio includes performance design for the London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony and the Rio 2016 Paralympic Cultural Olympiad. Chisato trained at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and holds a BA in Japanese Painting and an MA from Yokohama National University. She uses technology to let both Deaf and hearing audiences experience music and sound in radical new ways. Highly acclaimed and supported by international institutions, her work continues to draw extensive global media attention.
Duration: 60 min
Artistic Director / Performer: Chisato Minamimura
Animator: Dave Packer
Lighting and Production Designer: Jon Armstrong
Sonic Artist: Danny Bright
Vibrotactile Specialists: David Bobier / Jim Ruxton (VibrafusionLab)
Visual Vernacular Specialist: Tetsuya Izaki’
Sign Language Mentor: Steven Webb
Project Manager: Emi Del Bene
Producer: Tom Curteis
Supported / Partnered by: VibrafusionLab, Fanshawe, Ovalhouse Theatre, Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, Sarah Pickthall’
Photography by: Mark Pickthall
