Kelsie Grazier | July 2021
July 31-
Many times in my life I have been spoken
for / over / instead of.
While Deafness is an invisible disability there are many who silently share the same experiences.
What would the Deaf world look like if Oralism never happened?
The month of exploring the materials turned into a translation of gesture and voices. As I read essays from Deaf researchers I was inspired to shift my questions from ‘How am I different’ to ‘How I am.’ Paddy Ladd articulated it well, “decolonization of Deaf communities cannot happen until Deaf Culture, Arts and History shows Deaf people as the subject rather than the object of the gaze.”
While I was working, filming the process made me acutely aware of being watched, of how my body moves in space, how I articulate myself in ASL, and how I make a gesture.
How has my perception of my body and disability impacted how I move in a space and what I create?
Expanding the marks, materials, reflections to use this language to find unexpected meanings.
July 19-
Working this large feels uncomfortable - literally and metaphorically. My body stores pain from previous experiences. Working larger pushes those personal boundaries. It allows me to use space with my body, gliding the substrate across the paper. With every gesture I am claiming space. I have been conditioned to stay small, with others speaking over me, for me. When I am in my studio, using my visual language. It is own voice, only for me.
July 28-
It starts with “what if”
What if I focus on being.
What if I shift my gaze.
What if I use light as a reflection.
What if I show my emotions in my gesture like this.
What if I take up space?
What is next?
Usually being d/Deaf means you must explain yourself and your needs daily, whether it is through advocacy or education. Participating in RRR allows me the space to exist, create and explore what my relationship to deafness means to me. Over this month, I look forward to researching movement and subtle gestures with a focus on ‘how are we being.’ I am really grateful to be learning alongside such wonderful artists and mentors.
Kelsie Grazier (she/her) is a visual artist based in Vancouver, BC. With an emphasis on gestural brushstrokes and fine lines, Kelsie paints to communicate the complexities of Deaf identity and cultural histories. She studied painting at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. She obtained her Masters in Deaf Education at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and focused her research on global perceptions of Deaf identity. It was during this time that Kelsie, born with a mild hearing loss, suddenly became deaf. As a result, her art practice explores her newfound connection to a linguistic minority culture and her deaf experiences.