Commissioned by the Dyer Arts Centre, New York and supported by Wales Arts International, Breathing on Borrowed Time explores creativity and deaf sisterhood through life story and artistic practice; presented as a video collaboration between Cheryl Beer and Ruth Fabby MBE. The final film is to be screened in New York in 2024.

Cheryl says of the project:

“The heartfelt joy for us was having the opportunity to meet and work in person for the first time, having developed our creative friendship online during the global crisis of the pandemic. Exploring our creative practice within the fragility of nature and what it means to our deaf sisterhood, has enabled us to connect more deeply to ourselves as artists. However, wider than this, the contribution to culture by deaf artists has previously been unheard or marginalised and our work gives an important insight into what have been remarkable life stories.

Thanks to Dyer Arts Centre in New York and Wales Arts International, our life stories now offer hope and example across the globe, whilst breaking down stereotypes about the contributions made by deaf women artists, both individually and together.’’

Poetry written and narrated by Ruth, with soundscape and film by Cheryl.