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Auslan and the Sounds of Nature
This session begins with a TEDX talk by Newstead’s Andrew Skeoch, in which he talks about the sounds of nature, bird calls in particular, with a spectrograph of the sounds displayed on screen. The talk is Auslan interpreted. This got me thinking about the relationship between nature, its sounds and people who are deaf. The 15 minute film will be followed by a Q & A between Darren Roberts and the audience. Darren will also teach you some of the basic signs of Auslan and a fun song!
Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of this unique workshop, demonstrating the spirit of language diversity.
Sunday 4th August
1pm
Bowls Club
Entry $5
Read on for a more detailed description of the session.
Darren, who is now completely deaf, will lead this session, with his daughter, Wurundjeri woman Samantha Roberts as his Auslan interpreter. When I asked him to be part of this session, neither of us could really pin down how it would run. Then Darren sent me this:
“If l was to do this l would do it from the perspective of once being hearing and knowing (remembering) what songs were like and how do we as deaf people understand the sounds of nature. For example, a magpie warbles. I have no idea what a warble sounds like!! We can see a cat miaow but is it low or high pitched? How the wind sounds when it blows through the trees? Is it a rustle or creaks and groans?
“I never know when it is raining outside once it's dark and I’m inside. What does rain sound like on the roof or on the window? I never know if it’s windy, how windy when it’s dark and I’m inside. Are there owls or birds making noises outside?
“My question to the group is for them to identify various sounds of nature and try to explain it to me as a deaf person. That’s a turnaround 😊. This will make THEM think about the sounds of nature.
"I want to broaden this to include ALL of nature, like the wind, rain, thunder, trees. Waves on the beach, animals, bird calls and so forth.”