Evelyn Glennie joins Raymond Antrobus: The Quiet Ear booklaunch
27 August at 19:45
£15
Award-winning British-Jamaican writer Raymond Antrobus was first diagnosed as deaf at the age of seven. He discovered he had missing sounds – bird calls, whistles, kettles, alarms. Teachers thought he was slow and disruptive; some friends didn’t believe he was deaf at all.
The Quiet Ear tells the story of Antrobus’ childhood, his first experience using hearing aids, his troubled adolescence and the parallel mainstream and deaf education systems.
Blending memoir, criticism and biography, he sets his story alongside those of D/deaf cultural figures including Granville Redmond, David Wright, Johnnie Ray and Dorothy Miles – the models of D/deaf creativity he did not have growing up. With a poet’s precision, Antrobus crafts a powerful meditation on deafness, language, and identity, offering a groundbreaking perspective on what it means to listen and be heard.
This launch event brings together a range of D/deaf artists for performances and discussion, including a special short performance of ‘Follow the Signs’, an autobiographical piece, performed in BSL, rap and creative captions following dance artist and choreographer Chris Fonseca’s journey of self-discovery.
The world’s premier solo percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie, also performs an evocative, improvised soundscape to accompany prose written and read live on stage by Antrobus. Together, they offer a unique, collaborative experience, where words and percussion merge to captivate the audience’s senses and emotions.
Raymond Antrobus is the author of four collections of poetry, most recently Signs/Music (Tin House), of which the title poem was published in The New Yorker. His work has won numerous prizes in the UK, where his poems have been added to school examination syllabi. He is also the author of a children’s book Can Bears Ski?, which became the first story broadcast on the BBC entirely in British Sign Language. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and appointed an MBE.
‘Follow the Signs’ is written and performed by Chris Fonseca and Harry Jardine, produced by Yacoub Didi, and recorded, mixed and mastered by Callum Brewer.
Born and raised in the heart of southeast London, Chris Fonseca is a multidisciplinary artist excelling as a dance artist, choreographer, actor, and co-artistic director for Fuse Theatre CIC. His work not only entertains but also pushes boundaries, challenging perceptions and encouraging dialogue within the art and dance community.
Harry Jardine is a theatre director, producer, and co-artistic director of Fuse Theatre CIC, known for innovative live events. He co-founded Streatham Space Project, organising diverse and accessible performances, and launched A Night in Sign, promoting Deaf and hard of hearing talent at venues like Bristol Old Vic and Shakespeare’s Globe. His work includes commissioning Deaf and Hard of Hearing choreographers and leading inclusive workshops for young people.
Dame Evelyn Glennie is the world’s premier solo percussionist. A double Grammy Award-winner and BAFTA nominee, she composes for film, theatre and television and was awarded an OBE in 1993. She has over 100 international awards to date, including the Polar Music Prize, the Léonie Sonning Music Prize and the Companion of Honour.
Details
- Date:
- 27 August
- Time:
- 19:45
- Cost:
- £15
- Event Category:
- Book Reading
- Event Tags:
- Book Launch, Improvisation, Raymond Antrobus, Soundscape, Southbank Centre, The Quiet Ear
- More Information:
- https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/raymond-antrobus-the-quiet-ear/
Venue
- Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre
-
Belvedere Road
London, SE1 8XX United Kingdom + Google Map - Venue Website:
- https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/visit-us/getting-here/