Fish Dance When They Are Not Sleeping
Opera for the deaf and hearing
*Fish dance when they are not sleeping* is an immersive opera where voice and gesture come together. It’s a collaboration between Deaf and hearing artists, creating a shared language through movement, sound, and connection.
About Fish Dance
A poetic, surreal dive into an underwater world, where strange, fish-like beings meet futuristic humanoid travelers. Their encounter unfolds somewhere between dream and reality—where fluid, shifting forms defy logic and brush up against stark, hyper-rational clarity.
Outcome of the experiment
This performance brought together deaf and hearing performers in an opera setting, creating a powerful space where sound and silence met through movement, rhythm, and technology. The journey toward developing a shared visual language—one that could communicate emotion, timing, and expression across sensory worlds—was both complex and deeply inspiring. It revealed just how much can be said without words or sound, and how much potential lies in the spaces in between.
About the Technology
Through motion capture, generative visuals, and machine learning, a new form of language begins to take shape—one where gestures can be heard and music can be seen. This technology doesn’t just translate; it transforms. It creates a shared space where Deaf and hearing performers connect, respond, and build something neither could create alone.
Bridge between deaf and hearing
This performance set out to explore the frustration many Deaf people feel when they’re misunderstood by the hearing world. At the same time, it aimed to build a space where both ways of perceiving—through sound and through sight—could meet, mix, and reshape one another. It wasn’t about translating one into the other, but about creating something shared, something in-between.
The team
Partners
“Building a prototype in our lab? You can rent the space for your own project.”
Technical Deepdive - 3 day Workshop
In this three-day workshop, we dive in your technology of choice. This can be f.e. VR, XR, AI, Sound, and more. We provide a tailored session focused on that field.
Discover our trainingprograms
Whether you're a maker, a collective, or an organization, we, together with our community of experts, can set up tailored training, workshops, and masterclasses to help you explore creative technology, artistic processes, and experimentation.
We also offer tailor-made one-on-one sessions with experts, where you can level up your project, tackle challenges, and push your ideas further.
Get all In:sights
We come across many challenges and gain valuable knowledge along the way—knowledge we want to share with you. Sign up for IN:Sights and stay ahead with the latest in creative technology and artistic innovation!