The "Liquid Tongues" installation by Bogna Burska and Daniel Kotowski, showcased at the 61st Venice Art Biennale, profoundly redefines how we perceive communication. This immersive experience, blending audio and visual elements, challenges the prevailing human-centric and spoken-word-dominated views of language. It champions a more expansive understanding, drawing parallels between the communication of Deaf individuals and that of whales, emphasizing shared sensory and relational processes. Through a rich tapestry of choreographed movements, evocative sounds, and underwater cinematography, the project invites visitors to engage with communication not as a rigid system, but as a fluid, co-created journey that transcends conventional boundaries.

This innovative work underscores the importance of marginalized languages and non-human communication systems. It promotes a concept of "Deaf Gain," repositioning deafness not as a deficit but as a unique cultural and perceptual advantage that enriches societal understanding. By exploring communication in underwater environments, where the dynamics of sound and perception are radically altered, the installation creates a space for experimental interaction. This inversion of typical auditory experiences allows for a deeper appreciation of diverse communicative forms, fostering a collective, empathetic engagement with the nuances of exchange and meaning-making.

Reimagining Communication Through Multisensory Experiences

The "Liquid Tongues" exhibit at the Venice Art Biennale, curated by Ewa Chomicka and Jolanta Woszczenko, offers a groundbreaking perspective on communication. It challenges traditional notions of language by integrating the worlds of Deaf and hearing performers, the intricate songs of whales, and broader non-human sensory perceptions. This immersive audio-visual installation explores how meaning is conveyed through physical expressions, gestures, and sounds that exist beyond spoken words. By setting a significant portion of the experience underwater, the artists aim to destabilize conventional perceptions of hierarchy and language, encouraging visitors to view communication as a collaborative, multi-sensory journey rather than a fixed, spoken system. The exhibit thus creates an environment of profound attunement, honoring overlooked languages, embracing cycles of loss and renewal, and fostering a deep sense of shared understanding grounded in attentive listening and harmonious coexistence.

This ambitious project meticulously intertwines various artistic elements—underwater cinematography, expressive choreography, and International Sign language—to craft a narrative that transcends linguistic barriers. The artists, Bogna Burska and Daniel Kotowski, deliberately explore the concept of "Deaf Gain," presenting deafness not as a limitation but as a valuable cultural and perceptual asset. This framework liberates the concept of "loudness" from its phonetic constraints, recasting it as a means of asserting presence and identity. By extending the notion of listening to encompass whales and other non-human communication systems, "Liquid Tongues" proposes a future where language is understood as multisensory, relational, and universally shared, moving beyond its traditional human-bound and spoken forms. This holistic approach invites a profound re-evaluation of how diverse beings connect and make sense of their shared realities.

Embracing Non-Phonetic Communication and Diverse Perceptions

The "Liquid Tongues" installation provocatively inverts conventional communication dynamics by creating an underwater environment where Deaf individuals can communicate fluidly through sign language, while hearing individuals' auditory perceptions are deliberately distorted. This powerful artistic choice, rooted in the concept of "Deaf Gain," reframes deafness as a cultural identity and a source of unique perspectives, rather than a disability. The boundary between air and water serves as a conceptual laboratory for communication experiments, revealing how different forms of expression and understanding traverse these environments and how their meanings transform. This playful disruption of phonocentric perception—the idea that spoken language is paramount—is a central theme, highlighting the potential for richer, more inclusive forms of interaction when the dominance of spoken sound is challenged.

Working within this underwater context presented profound artistic and physical challenges, deeply altering the performers' experience of movement, perception, and time. The necessity of coordinating breath became a shared focus, drawing parallels to the rhythmic surfacing of whales and fostering a physical connection to the broader natural world. This submerged setting heightened awareness of physical proximity and touch, forging a sense of intimacy not only among the human participants but also with the non-human elements of the environment. The weightless sensation and altered proprioception in water opened new avenues for artistic expression and spatial exploration, allowing sign language to flourish unhindered by typical hierarchies. The installation further integrates acoustic waves, mirroring whale vocalizations and echolocation, to create a sonic experience that is not only audible and visual but also physically felt through vibrations, much like how whales perceive sound. This multi-sensory approach aims for immersive, non-aggressive vibrations that resonate with the experiences of Deaf people, who often perceive sound through tactile sensations.