Christine Sun Kim: The enchanting music of sign language

The enchanting music of sign language

Artist and TED Fellow Christine Sun Kim was born deaf, and she was taught to believe that sound wasn't a part of her life, that it was a hearing person's thing. Through her art, she discovered similarities between American Sign Language and music, and she realized that sound doesn't have to be known solely through the ears -- it can be felt, seen and experienced as an idea. In this endearing talk, she invites us to open our eyes and ears and participate in the rich treasure of visual language.

Sign language can be as expressive and nuanced as any musical composition, challenging the idea that sound must be heard to be understood. Growing up deaf, the artist learned to perceive and even create sound by observing others' reactions and etiquette, turning these experiences into art. By blending American Sign Language with musical concepts, she showed that movement and visual expression can carry meaning as rich as speech. Her work calls for recognizing sign language as its own form of cultural and social currency, not just an alternative to sound.