According to Nyman (2013),
“difference is both a process and product; it characterizes how we process
reality as well as how exterior forces and energies work upon us.” Thinking
about difference as a notion that cultivates productive and enriching forces
made me revisit my memory of having a conversation with a museum visitor named
Alvin as part of my research a few years ago. Alvin
was a college student majoring in communication studies. He shared
his story of learning American sign language while standing with me in front of
three Buddhist gilt-bronze sculptures from the Joseon period.
“When I was looking at the three Buddhas over here, I was guessing the hand positions of these must be very important. It reminded me and my
mom and sister learning American sign language when I was younger…So I was
wondering what he is trying to
say. What he could be saying in American sign language which obviously is not the case. But perhaps he’s saying something
still. But why in sign language?
Maybe it’s more kind of a universal language.”
The viewing experience encouraged
him to take notice of the sculpture’s distinctive hand sign, which also made
him relate his experience to this specific feature. Alvin assumed that
knowing the meaning of the hand sign, or mudra, of the
Buddhist sculptures plays a critical role in interpreting the artwork. Being
unaware of the different meanings assigned to the mudras, he tried
to apply his knowledge of sign language to make sense of the object. Being a
communication studies major, Alvin was interested in both making personal
communications through sign language and learning about communications across
cultures through art. Those two “languages” are based on the use of symbols,
which Alvin attempted to interrelate.
The TED talk, given by Joseph
Valente, touches upon the bilingual abilities of the deaf culture. The focus is
not on the “impairment” that needs to be fixed. Decentering normative views of
this culture elicits a whole new perspective that focuses on a unique and
different ability—the ability to see and perceive the world with a different
“language.” Alvin acknowledged that his application of sign language to the
interpretation of a Buddhist sculpture would not make sense in an art
historical context. But for me, his interpretation of the object made me think
of something that I had never thought of. By blending in his own cultural
background to the surface manifestations of art, Alvin was trying to make sense
of the object on a very personal level. The process also enriched my insight of
viewing the artwork with a different perspective. Overlapping the readings with
my narrative, I wonder how to apply this cross-cultural
encountering/co-creative process beyond the museum and to everyday life and how
this would enrich our lives.