Bildbeschreibung: Ein Foto, das in der integrierten Tastführung des Stücks „Approaching Care“ aufgenommen wurde. Auf dem Bild sind die Hände einer weißen Person zu sehen, die zwischen den Fingern ein leuchtend oranges Stoffbällchen hält und befühlt. Der leuchtend orangefarbene Stoff ist mit kleinen Stoppeln übersät und wirkt dadurch flauschig oder wie ein kleines Tier. Es ist Teil eines Kostüms. Das Bild wurde von oben aufgenommen, und im Hintergrund sind die graue Hose der Person sowie der Boden zu erkennen.
Jojo Büttler (they/them), is a freelance artist based in Berlin. They are a sighted person who has been working with audio descriptions (AD).
Nic Meyer (she/her) is a sociologist based in Hamburg who works at the intersection of gender, queer, and disability studies. She is blind and has been actively involved in AD since the pandemic.
Jojo and Nic have worked together as co-authors for AD. Just as in AD, where their thought processes merge to create a unified narrative, this text also blends their words to form a cohesive story.
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We first met at Sophiensæle in 2022 during the festival, Queering the Crip, Cripping the Queer. Since then, we collaborated on two ADs. Unfortunately, we have not yet had the opportunity to collaborate under the best conditions, as we have only created ADs of existing works on video. In other words, the ADs were made as add-ons to the performances.
What we rather advocate for are artistic AD and integrative AD. In the best case, these ADs incorporate access for blind/visually impaired audiences from the conception till the completion of a work. It is a creative process in which the authors of AD collaborate closely with the makers of the performance. In this case, AD has the potential to move beyond solely focusing on what is happening on stage, which we find exciting. When AD is fully integrated into a piece, we use the term 'aesthetic of access,' coined and shaped by Graeae Theatre Company in the UK.
But even to create an AD to an already existing piece is so much more than merely describing what is happening on stage. Just as a performance work has its own language, an AD should also find its own language. Developing this language is very intensive work, as we try to uncover a level of depth that allows us to convey the multiple layers of meanings that open up within a piece. For this reason, it is crucial to be in communication with the artist and/or dramaturg to gain insight into the process and the intentions behind the work.
There are many elements to consider in creating an AD. For example, voice modulation can play an important role. The voice can really go along with the energy of the dancers and the scenes. When something is slooow, the voice can also speak slooowly. With quick and big movements, the voice can be fast and loud. Sometimes, there can be whispering or rhythmic vocals, like 'ta da da dam!' which deliver a movement pattern. It is a beautiful exercise to translate physical movements into vocal movements. Using a poetic language that matches the atmosphere of the performance is also a helpful tool.
We understand AD as a subjective perception, rather than a completely objective description. When ten dancers are each doing different things onstage, for instance, what should be described? The authors of AD are constantly making subjective decisions on where to put the focus. This is the aspect that I find especially charming in artistic AD. Having more freedom to design an AD in a creative way makes both making and listening to it more enjoyable.
If AD is artistically integrated into a piece, it can enhance the aesthetic perception of the performance, offering a more enriching experience for all audiences. For example, in open AD, where AD is spoken aloud for the entire audience to hear, it becomes an essential element of the piece. We hope that one day it will become standard to have an AD for many many more performances.
Veröffentlicht im Februar 2025. Text von Inky Lee.