“For this project, Skedd worked with a deaf choir to create a signed interpretation of British post-punk band Joy Division’s 1979 single Love Will Tear Us Apart, matching the cadence of the original song to sign motions that capture its emotional meaning. This song, which became a brooding anthem for the post-punk generation, was written by the band’s vocalist Ian Curtis, and was the band’s first chart hit.
In Skedd’s Sign Signing, sound is expressed through an ‘inaudible’ form of communication. Visually, the choir’s hands, bodies and facial movements become the only “readable” aspects of the song. Silence rather than sound is emphasized, yet when engaged with the motions of the choir, the familiarity of the song takes hold.”
