Award-winning Irish aerialist Chloe Commins introduces her latest show, Resonance - a journey into a world of the unspoken, inspired by growing up CODA (Child of Deaf Adult).
Told through circus, physical theatre, light and ISL (Irish Sign Language), Resonance premieres at The Lir Academy this September as part of Dublin Fringe Festival 2023.
As an adrenaline seeking aerial artist, I gravitate towards anything that can be suspended in the air. Be it my first love, aerial hoop, or fabric, you name it - aerial arts has provided me an escape from reality, freedom to defy gravity and to push my boundaries.
Some unexpected side effects, was the confidence and trust gained in myself. Rewiring my brain to accept that being a strong woman is empowering and something to be celebrated. Along with that, the community of wonderful and wacky people who are all supporting each other in pursuit of the same goal – to fly!
Throughout the years, feeding my addiction, I had tried a number of apparatus, but I had always felt I wanted to create something authentic and meaningful that summed up my story.
About two years ago, I found myself knee-deep in funding applications, sitting thinking, who am I and what do I have to offer, what sets me apart as a performer?
A light bulb moment. In that idea Resonance was born.
Being CODA (Child of Deaf Adult), I had always felt slightly out of place growing up. Sitting in between communities and cultures, hearing and deaf. Sitting at the adults table and playing translator.
Listening to friends in school talk about their families and not being able to relate. Or when I would try explain mine, being laughed at, or worse, being met with silence and confusion.
There were advantages - we were a terribly creative family. My mom would sign me to sleep, with stories of unicorns and angels. Acting out three part plays. Dad with his early ambitions to be a fine artist channelled his passion into engineering. It was also the norm to have the television on blast, have doors slam and plates go bang on the table. My parents would often get very upset if something went thump, and having felt the vibration, which would straight away, set them into alarm.
I had always felt I wanted to create something authentic and meaningful that summed up my story.
Little did my parents know, of my night time ritual of listening to the Adrian Kennedy phone show on the radio. And how my sister and I would often play the game 'boogers' in mass, where the winner was the person who shouted ‘boogers’ the loudest.
The ISL act was signed in 2017, making ISL Irelands third official language. Which has created a noticeable drive for accessibility and awareness.
In my parents time, verbalism was the approach taken by the Deaf schools, which meant that signed languages were stigmatised and families told, not to learn sign language, deepening the communication divide between the deaf community and hearing. It wasn’t until much later, that I learnt that this was the reason my family couldn’t sign, my auntie explaining, ‘we thought we were doing what was best for them’.
With director Míchéal Fleming, we have been incredibly lucky to have been supported in the creation of this work through the Arts Council of Ireland and organisations such as the Scene & Heard Festival of new work, Taking Flight, Circusful and Dance Ireland.
Then there was the support from mentors Emmen Donnelly and fellow CODA Shane O’Reilly, whose work Follow was a huge inspiration to my work.
In this show, through physical theatre, aerial hoop, light and ISL, I explore that divide from a CODA's perspective. With the motif of the piece being about connection. Resonating with, and finding understanding in each other.
I hope to bring the audience on a visual journey that may inspire, and spark a curiosity about Irish Sign Language.
Resonance opens at The Lir Academy (Studio) as part of Dublin Fringe Festival 2023 from September 11- 15 - find out more here.
