Imaginings (première) & Performances Kitchen’s Light

The film Imaginings (Anja Hiddinga, 2022) was made in collaboration with the deaf poets’ collective Kitchen's Light. In the film the performers tell their stories in poetic sign language: ‘signed word’. In an urgently engaging manner, they share their experiences and thoughts with the viewer.

In addition to the film screening, the poets of Kitchen's Light and their colleagues from the Groningen collective MOTH will present live performances. The program will be introduced by host and sign linguist Richard Cokart (Nederlands Gebarencentrum), followed by a short presentation by poet Erik Bindervoet on translating poetry, particularly sign language poetry. In addition, the platform SIGNlab will be presented: a site for sharing creative videos in sign language and for inspiring one another. A Q&A with the audience will conclude the program.  

Kitchen's Light is a collective which presents poetic pieces in members’ native language, Dutch Sign Language (NGT). Kitchen's Light was formed in 2019, following a series of workshops by spoken word artist Elten Kiene. Individually or collectively, members perform ‘signed word’, classic sign poetry, 'visual vernacular' (a genre special to sign languages), story-telling, poetic translations (e.g. of songs).

Anja Hiddinga is a Dutch filmmaker who has made several films about deafness including five poems in sign language (Bewogen, 2005), the documentary I gesture, I live (2012) and the short film Embodiment of Conflict (2022) about the controversy over the status of sign language. She is also a researcher and lecturer at the Anthropology Department of the University of Amsterdam.