A Poetic Challenge

To enable Hydrocracker’s ambitious BEFORE THE FLAME GOES OUT project to be delivered, the company brought in new artistic collaborators experienced in working with an access aesthetic and working for D/deaf audiences. Performer Nadia Nadarajah task was to perform Raymond Antrobus’ poem.

I was so thrilled to be involved with this project. A huge part of that thrill was the creative challenge that was posed by the poem being one word, by one word. I must admit that although this was a challenge, it was such a pleasurable one at that. For me personally, as a Deaf person and a lover of Deaf Culture, word by word is so much more suited to someone like myself, rather than wordy sentences.

It was also an extremely relatable topic, as ultimately, it's what every single one of us are going through. This, again made it more enjoyable and easier to engage with. Regarding the translation aspect, it was truly liberating to be able to give my own view on whatever the content translated to. To also work alongside others, inputting our interpretations of the text was an enjoyable experience.

It was such a privilege to be involved with a team like this and a project like this, wherein I had total freedom to express myself, whether that be through VV, or my opinions on the translation. I can't think the team enough.

Nadia Nadarajah October 2020