Please note this Open call is now closed
Deaf Explorer
Presents Square-Eye Online Festival | 3-6 December 2020 | Watch on Facebook LIVE & ZOOM
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Asnath Mokeka LosalaAsnath is a Deaf athlete and street dancer. She competed in Deaf Olympics in 2017. In 2019 she featured in HERE/NOT HERE, a hip hop music drama showcasing a new visual language for story-telling by combining British Sign Language, Visual Vernacular, urban dance, music, and football, directed by Bim Ajadi and broadcast by BSL Zone. In 2020 she was commissioned by Deaf Explorer and China Plate to make a 60 second video, It Get’s Lighter From Here. Her video ‘Conquérir’ was a huge success, gaining 321 views on China Plate twitter feed.
Watch ‘It Gets Lighter From Here: Conquérir’
Conquérir: Asnath LosalaWatch Asnath in ‘Here Not Here’
Asnath Losala in ‘Here Not Here’ -
Deaf Explorer invites deaf people from Pakistan and Britain for a discussion about photography.
On Deaf explorer’s Facebook page the post has reached over 21,000 people have visited the post with 146 reactions and 169 comments.
Rinkoo Barpaga @rinkoo_street_photo (UK theatre-maker & street photographer) worked with Ali Noonari @deafcommunity_signlanguage (expert in Pakistan Sign Language) to create a digital photo-book about the Deaf experience of COVID-19 in the UK and Pakistan.
Funded by Transforming Narratives @transformingnarratives , the work is a digital exchange between the two artists. Stephen Iliffe @deaf_mosaic is a deaf photographer and writer. His passion is using images and text to bring stories to life. Most recently, Stephen has published a website and series of portraits; Deaf Mosaic highlighting the diversity that exists in the Deaf community – a topic central to Deaf Explorer’s vision.
Join Rinkoo, Ali and Stephen for presentations about their work and a Q&A live from our Facebook page.
#deaftalent #deafexplorer #deafartist #deafphotographer #transformingnarratives #covid_19
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China Plate and Deaf Explorer commissioned four films by Deaf artists to celebrate the winter solstice.
Deaf Explorer were delighted to co-commission Maral, Rinkoo Barpaga, Asnath Mokeka Losala and Ishtiaq Hussian. Each clip was to last no longer than 60 seconds and was the artist’s response to the statement; “It gets lighter from here”.
More about the project here: https://www.culturecentral.co.uk/events/it-gets-lighter-from-here-2/
Maral created a short video, ‘Yalda Night’ a beautiful commentary on celebrating the winter solstice apart from family and friends who share her traditions, trying to keep her traditions alive but celebrating alone.
Rinkoo Barpaga, despite suffering from COVID-19, put together as montage of his footage filmed previously using a drone, to celebrate and remember what the world looks like, despite being trapped at home in self-isolation. Rinkoo’s video is titled: ‘Aim High, Fly Higher’
Watch Rinkoo’s video on twitter: https://twitter.com/YourOldChina/status/1341068441369899012?s=20
Asnath Mokeka Losala is an emerging dance artist and this was her first artistic commission, ‘Conquerir’ a fierce expression on freedom and joy in these difficult times.
Ishtiaq Hussain filmed ‘Winter Wildlife Solstice’ a spooky visual vernacular poem about animals in a forest as the sun sets and moon rises.
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7pm Thursday 3rd December 2020
Deaf Explorer CIC Directors Meet the Deaf Explorer CIC Directors. Maral Mamaghanizadeh (Jewellery/visual artist and assistant producer), Rinkoo Barpaga (Theatre and filmmaker), Billy Read (Choreographer and street dancer), Alan McLean (Producer), Rachael Veazey (Producer & Access Manager.)
Who is Deaf Explorer and what do we do?
How can you get involved?
The team would like to share future plans with you in this panel discussion and live Q&A.
This is a live zoom event and the launch event of Deaf Explorer’s first digital festival: “Square Eye” 3rd – 6th December 2020.
This event is lead in BSL with BSL Interpreter.
Deaf Explorer are delighted to be joined by Scottish presenter, Lucy Clark and Lucy will host this event with the team.
Lucy Clark: Deaf TV Presentor 
BSL Interpretated 
60 engagements 98 views -
Rinkoo Barpaga SQUARE-EYE FESTIVAL 8.15 pm Thu, 3 Dec 2020
A recording of Rinkoo’s live performance from Crystal Palace Festival 2020 will be broadcast on Deaf Explorer’s facebook and youtube channel.
Rinkoo creates solo performances, exploring identity, Deafness and racism. He incorporates a very physical style of storytelling, embodying over 50 different characters in each show. His storytelling is humorous and engaging, but doesn’t fail to stop an audience in their tracks with a well-timed observation of a moment of injustice or discrimination. Rinkoo performs in his first language, British Sign Language and is simultaneously translated into spoken English by performance Interpreter, Kam Deo.
Birmingham born Rinkoo Barpaga has moved around a lot trying to find somewhere to finally settle. Required to both tick the box, ‘ethnic minority,’ but also ‘Deaf’ he has been forced to constantly ask the question, “where do I belong?”
This is an extract from Rinkoo’s solo production: Made In India/Britain and is an insight into one man’s life as he tries to fathom out exactly who he is as he delves deep into past experiences to try and find clues which will help him settle in his present and find a place he can finally call home.
Written by Rinkoo Barpaga
Directed by Daniel Bailey
BSL Interpreted
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If You Want To Be Alive…Read My Lips is commissioned by Journeys Festival International and supported by Arts Council England, If You Want To Be Alive…Read My Lips is a performance film introducing Maral’s experience of deafness and jewellery making, her artistic practice and becoming a refugee due to the political nature of her artwork.
The film showcases her bone china jewellery and demonstrates how the jewellery is worn, over the ears. A sound collage, by sound designer Chris Bartholomew, samples Iranian feminist protest songs and asks audiences to consider the difficulties of engaging politically when you do not have access to sound.
You must read Maral’s lips, giving an insight into her unique experience as a Deaf person and revealing the beauty of sign language that has finally given her a ‘voice.’
Maral Mamaghanizadeh is a Deaf Iranian artist, awarded an MA in Jewellery and Silversmithing from Birmingham City University in 2017 with her work ‘The Politics of Voice; The Tale of Tresses.’
Her work explores barriers she encounters in everyday life as a Deaf, female refugee. She communicates through her artworks, combining feminism and cultural politics.
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Street dance theatre work in progress. Billy is developing a new work for Deaf teenagers with long term collaborators, Ariel Fung and Chris Fonseca. Watch the work in progress
Billy’s ambition with Sign Criminal, was for the story, sign language and digital media to be pinned to the choreography, blending the art forms in a new way. After three weeks in a rehearsal studio the process resulted in the use of a sign language in style that is similar to urban sign language, as well as an international deaf language called Visual Vernacular. It’s appeal is that it is not dependent on translation and shows deaf peoples creativity.
After the performance of Sign Criminal at Deaf Cultural Centre in September 2018, Disability poet and consultant said, “I don’t know sign language but I understood every moment of the performance. It was powerful and emotional.” Birmingham based Hip Hop dancer Omar said in May 2019, “The deaf dancers may not have the edge of the other street dancers in B side, but they taught me how street dance can tell a story.”
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Part One: Deaf Ecosystem
Deaf Explorer commissioned Rinkoo Barpaga and Zoe McWhinney to make a series of four programmes, talking about original topics relevant to the Deaf community.
Make a cuppa and put your feet up to watch their conversation and share your thoughts with us by posting on social media. This film will be broadcasted on Deaf Explorer’s facebook, instagram and youtube channels.SQUARE-EYE FESTIVAL, 10pm, Thursday 3rd Dec 2020,
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ISHTIAG HUSSAIN New VV Coronavirus
Ishtiaq is a performance artist specialising in Visual Vernacular (VV), an art form pioneered by Deaf artists that uses movements to communicate a story as a universal form of communication. Ishtiaq has been performing and running workshops across the UK since 2011. He also set up his company Deafscope in 2018 in Dudley.6.30PM, FRi, 4 2020, SQUARE EYE FESTIVAL
Deaf Explorer 