The Deaf Butterfly Effect acknowledges and pays respect to the Kaurna people, the traditional custodians whose ancestral lands we operate on. We acknowledge the deep feelings of attachment and relationship of all First Nationals peoples to country and we respect and value their past, present and ongoing connection to the land and cultural beliefs. We particularly acknowledge the Deaf and Hard of Hearing First Nation peoples who practice some of the oldest sign languages in the world people living today.
The Deaf Butterfly Effect also acknowledge and respect the members of the deaf community in Australia, who preserve their rich heritage, culture and our language; Auslan (Australian Sign Language). We also acknowledge our custodians of Auslan, promoting awareness, equality and access through our sign language. Through Auslan, we inspire future leaders in our deaf community to continue our legacy and heritage.
2023
The National Week of Deaf People (NWDP) is a week-long national celebration of Deaf individuals and the Australian Deaf community, which includes celebrating the International Week of Deaf People (IWDP) and International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) which are initiatives of the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD).
These two events are traditionally held during September and are based on the founding date of the WFD (23 September 1951).
It is also an opportunity for organisations involved with or wishing to be involved with the Deaf Community to build and maintain relationships with Deaf people and be recognised as an ally to the Deaf community.
This years NWDP theme for 2023 is A World Where Deaf People Can Sign Anywhere.
When: Saturday 4th-27th September 9 am - 6pm Monday to Friday
Where: Kerry Packer Civic Gallery, Level 3, Hawke Building, Uni SA City West Campus. 55 North Terrace.
Deaf Gain is a celebration of the local and national Deaf community. This exhibition serves as a powerful platform for deaf artists to showcase their talent and share stories from the deaf community.
The artists bring a fresh and innovative approach to contemporary visual arts, as well as using art as a medium to showcase pride in their own unique experiences of deafness.
Curated by William Maggs, Deaf Gain creates a Deaf-centric space that empowers a diverse range of cutting-edge artists.
This exhibition coincides with the National Week of Deaf People (18 – 24 September) and features artists: Scott Pyle (SA) (Tutti Arts), Melissa Keller (SA) (Tutti Arts), Samantha Wilson (SA), William Maggs (SA), Jas Shirrefs (VIC), Luke Duncan King (VIC), Gonketa (VIC), Chelle Destefano (VIC), Ravi Vasavan (VIC), Katrina Parker (Deaf historian, teacher, educator) (SA).
Instagram: @deaf.gain
Facebook: Deaf Gain
When: Wednesday 20th September
Dinner: 6-7 pm
Workshop: 7:30-8:30 pm
Where: Rewind Studios, 7a Barrpowell Street, Welland, 5007.
RSVP:
https://events.humanitix.com/relaxed-art-workshop-withluke-king
Come along to Rewind Studios for a relaxed art workshop with Luke King and a shared home cooked dinner. Dinner will be provided but we’d love you to bring a plate of food too!
Dinner will be gluten free and vegan (but we can’t guarantee anything is food allergy friendly).
When: Thursday 21st September, 6:00pm-8:00pm
Where: Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE art gallery), Lion Arts Centre, North Terrace Adelaide, SA 5000
RSVP:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/nice-to-meet-youluke-king-tickets-677867228127? aff=oddtdtcreator
Luke will present his artist talk and discuss his art career.
Nice To Meet You is a series of public talks which invites visiting curators to share their knowledge and experiences with Adelaide audiences and arts communities. Speakers are invited to share their career journeys and insights into their organisation and upcoming projects with local audiences. The project is part of ACE and Guildhouse’s shared motivation to create points of connection, exchange and learning within the visual arts between South Australia, Australia and other parts of the world.
Speaking to a small audience, Nice To Meet You is an opportunity to connect meaningfully with the trajectory of an arts leader who engages artists and audiences through thoughtful and ambitious curation.
FRIDAY
When: Friday 22nd September 6:00 - 7:00pm
Where: Nexus Arts
Lion Arts Centre, Morphett Street, Adelaide SA 5000 Australia
RSVP: https://www.oztix.com.au
Deaf Power Symbol
Deaf Power is a is an initiative created by Ravi Vasavan and Christine Sun Kim. The symbol is not trademarked and belongs to the international Deaf community. Together they have created a website that represents what Deaf Power stands for.
Deaf Power promotes the history, languages and values of Deaf communities all over the world. As both a sign and symbol, it spreads our cultural pride. As both sign and symbol, it spreads our cultural pride. Our identity is widely diverse and Deaf Power can be used by you to reflect this diversity. Being an open-source symbol, we encourage its application both within and beyond the Deaf community.
More information about Deaf Power: https://deafpower.me/
Where: Saturday 23rd September 2-5pm
When: Allan Scott Auditorium (entered via the Kerry Packer Civic Gallery), Level 3, Hawke Building, Uni SA City West Campus, 55 North Terrace.
This is the big day! Join the artists from Deaf Gain for an afternoon of celebrations, conversation, and insights into deaf artists perspectives.
Ravi Vasavan, Luke Duncan King, Jas Shirrefs, Chelle Destefano and Gonketa are all visiting from Victoria. We will also have special guest Drisana Levitzke-Gray visiting from Western Australia.
RSVP here:
https://events.humanitix.com/deaf-gain-celebration-daypanels-artist-talks-and-more
William Maggs, Missed a Joke, acrylic on canvas, 2021Panel chair Drisana Levitzke-Gray
Artist Panels: artists in conversation with Drisana Levitzke-Gray (WA)
Time: 2:30-4:30pm
Artist Chelle Destefano
Photo credit: Jim Loach
Artist Talk: Chelle Destefano
Time: 4:30- 5:30 pm
When: Saturday 23rd of September, 6pm onwards.
Where: West Oak Hotel Hindley Street, 208 Hindley Street.
We provide a welcoming and positive atmosphere to foster development or maintenance of Auslan (if you don't know a sign, just write it down!) It is also a great way to socialise and meet other people who are passionate and keen to be involved in the Deaf community.
Voices Off meet monthly at various venues in Adelaide metro areas. This is an 18+ only group.
The West Oak is located just around the corner from Deaf Gain. Perfect timing and location to go to after Deaf Gain Celebration Day!
When: Sunday 24th of September, 11am-3pm
Where: Light Square, Adelaide SA
Light Square is located West of the CBD, bordered by Morphett Street, Waymouth Street, Currie Street.
Everyone is welcome! A celebration of the Deaf Community
Presented by The Deaf Butterfly Effect.
Auslan workshop
Hosted by Sign Language Australia
Kids Art Workshop
Hosted by The Art Gallery of South Australia
Performance
By Auslan studentsAuslan Storytelling
By Donovan CresdeeGroup Circus performance
By Tan CheungDeaf History Presentation
Donated by Corinne Ball and Katrina Parker
Bar services
Hosted by Duke of Brunswick Hotel
Deaf Ecosystem Stalls & more!
Luke D King is a native Deaf artist based in the Wurundjeri people's traditional land of Kulin nation, Naarm (Melbourne). His multidisciplinary artistic practices primarily focuses on paper-based works, human portraiture, dance, performance and collaboration.
As a prominent figure in his local Deaf community, Luke actively advocates for and represents the interests of Deaf artists. He serves as a progressive force, working towards greater inclusion and recognition of Deaf artists within the arts community. King has been involved as a consultant for various organisations including Arts House, Chunky Move, Creative Victoria and the Merri-Bek council where he offers his expertise and guidance in matters related to art, accessibility and the Deaf community. Beyond his artistic pursuits and consultancy work, Luke is also engaged as a teacher, mentor, speaker and project officer. These roles allow him to share his knowledge, skills, and experiences with others and advocating for the Deaf community's needs and aspirations.
Luke participated in Next Wave’s Kickstart program in 2017, resulting in an exhibition at Bus Projects as part of Next Wave Festival in 2018. He has exhibited at numerous galleries, including Tinning Street, For Heart Co, and Counihan Gallery. Luke is also part of DARE Deaf Art Residency Exhibition, a group of deaf artists focused on responding to current thematic topics. He is a member of the Naarm Deaf street art band named .MPG, along with Gonketa and Movas, and regularly hosts art tours in public and private art galleries and museums, such as the National Gallery of Victoria, the Ian Potter Centre, the Art Gallery of NSW, Melbourne Museum and Heide Museum of Modern Art.
Instagram: @lukeduncanking Website: https://lukeduncanking.tumblr.com/
Ravi Vasavan is an artist and designer. Creating beautiful, unique and impactful art, brand and digital experiences for the new era. Born deaf to deaf parents, Ravi grew up in Australia immersed in deaf community, which has influenced his perspective and worldview. He knew two sign languages before English. You could say that Auslan (Australian Sign Language) is his ‘mother tongue’ — or perhaps ‘fingers’? (Semantics).
Being visually oriented by nature, he was attracted to art and design early on, which led to his current career and practice. In his work, he is able to bring a Deaf perspective, particularly when it comes to (often hearing-oriented) accessibility, inclusivity and strategic thinking in art and design.
In 2020 he was part of the first cohort for the Google Rare Leadership Accelerator, a program for underrepresented future creative leaders who wish to fundamentally change the creative industries for the better.
Hiya, my name’s Jaycob Campbell and I am an artist. I was born profoundly deaf and thus, using my pseudonym Gonketa, focus on the movement and shapes formed by hands and gestures, which features as a core element throughout my work. I explore this through the use of bold colours and exaggerated expressions - which are fundamental in non-verbal communication. I aim to promote self-determination for all members of the Auslan (Australian Sign Language) community.
Instagram: @gonketa
Website: https://www.gonketa.com/
Jas Shirrefs is a social worker, writer, and multidisciplinary artist.
Jas has written for Growing Up Disabled in Australia released by Black Inc. in 2021. They did a life writing column for Scum Mag in 2020 and are currently working on a long form nonfiction manuscript about community, identity and shared living arrangements. Jas identifies as queer and Deaf.
Photo credit: Jim Loach
Chelle Destefano, a Deaf woman artist, born in 1979 and currently lives in Melbourne, Victoria. She lived in Adelaide, South Australia for 18 years where she began her arts studies and arts career. She has been exhibiting since 2012 and one of her highlights was being one of the 8 artists in an Arts Exchange for Berlin with Arts Access Australia in October 2017 that gave her experience of working with other artists from different cultural backgrounds. They included workshops run by the artists and an exhibition as part of the Berlin arts festival. More recent highlights include three major exhibitions for "What I Wish I'd Told You" touring Victoria in 2022 in collaboration with Claire Bridge; collaborating in a performance with Jacqui Stockdale as part of Jacqui's Ned Kelly exhibition in late 2022; and her upcoming major solo performance and exhibition slated for mid-2023. She was the winner of a Creative Victoria's Creative Workers' grant that has enabled her to create a major performance piece for 2023.
Chelle is a multi-disciplinary artist and she works with textiles, performance, installation, sculpture, drawing media and mixed media to explore culture and identity including her Deaf culture and other forms of critical subjects surrounding identity and the environment, and her relationship with time and space. She is currently focused on dance performance using gestural movements with her Auslan language in an abstract sense to discover what her Deaf experiences mean and the history of oppression has meant in affecting her life as many other Deaf people have experienced.
Chelle has a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Applied Design (2006) from SA (South Australia) Arts School and recently completed her Masters of Contemporary Art at VCA in Melbourne University. She works individually and has been doing collaborations with other artists, notably a major Deaf project called What I Wish I'd Told You with artist Claire Bridge who is hearing and a Deaf alley.
Chelle was a winner of the Lake Art Prize (2020) for her multidisciplinary textile and performance work and has been a finalist in a number of art prizes including the Muswellbrooke Art Prize (2023), Footscray Art Award (2021), Wyndham Art Prize (2022), Banyule Art Award for Works on Paper (2019 and 2021), the Lyn McCrea Memorable Drawing Prize (2019), Fisher's Ghost Art Award (2020, 2022), the Noel Counihan Commemorative Art Award (2019, 2020, 2022), the Midsummer Post Art Award (2020), The Incinerator Art Award (2020), and the Watercolour Muster (2021).
Scott Pyle, of Tutti Arts, is an artist known for his energetic paintings of figures and monsters from the television series Power Rangers. His work also draws inspiration from surf culture, Home and Away and the history of Adelaide. Scott has developed a unique visual arts practice which has inspired some enthusiastic collectors of his work. He has previously exhibited as part of the SALA, Fringe and OzAsia festivals as well as in numerous gallery spaces including FELT space and Greenaway Art Gallery. Scott is a keen collaborator and has co-produced work with artists Paul Hoban and Henry Jock Walker.
Using a variety of mixed media Melissa creates images around the notion of self-discovery. By means of colour and pattern Melissa delves in to her inner self to explore and represent past and current events and feelings that have impacted her life thus far. Melissa creates highly decorative drawn and painted surfaces with pops of colour that represent struggles and breakthroughs with personal wellness. Her photography takes the viewer on a journey through peace and calm allowing us to feel as she does when at one with nature. Overcoming struggles and boundaries in life through her art, Melissa has found her innerstrength and control of her life journey.
Image credit: Tom McCammon courtesy Adelaide Contemporary Experimental
William Maggs is a talented artist based in Adelaide who uses various mediums, including painting, digital art, and drawing. As a Deaf artist, William is particularly passionate about capturing the joys and struggles of being Deaf in his art. From a young age, William discovered his love for painting, which provided him with a powerful creative outlet to express his thoughts and feelings in a way that words couldn't. Currently in his third year of university, he is studying to become a concept artist, honing his skills to turn his imagination into reality and to explore the complex and nuanced journey of life through his work.
William will exhibit in Deaf Gain along with being the curator.
Samantha Wilson is a proud Mutti Mutti/Wemba Wemba woman living on Kaurna Country Adelaide. Samantha was a member of the Australian Theatre of the Deaf from 1989-1994. She was a cofounder of DeafTV where she worked in roles director, producer, floor manager, actor, editor and program planner. Samantha appeared on G.P. (Dr Soapies on ABC) for an episode in 1989 and performed at the Opera House with the Bennalong Project in 1991. She has always had a strong connection to the arts through Auslan theatre and poetry.
Drisana Levitzke-Gray is the recipient of the 2015 Young Australian of the Year Award and WA Young Australian of the Year Award, in recognition of her passion and dedication in advocating for the human rights of deaf people. She raises awareness about Auslan (Australian Sign Language), and the right of deaf children in Australia to access Auslan from birth.
Drisana is the embodiment of the concept of ‘Deaf gain’, not ‘hearing loss’, inspiring the Deaf community, and encouraging the wider community to accept diversity.
Drisana was the first Deaf Auslan user to fulfil her civic duty as a juror, deliver a TEDx Talk in Auslan and consistently promotes a positive image of deafness, which states loudly and proudly: “It’s OK to be deaf” .
Instagram: @drisanalg
Website: http://www.drisanalg.com/
Deaf Gain is presented by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, Kerry Packer Civic Gallery.
Core project sponsoring partner: The Deaf Butterfly Effect.
Supported By: Adelaide Contemporary Experimental (ACE), Arts South Australia, and Sign Language Australia.
