Visual Vernacular
Erwan NOMAD
Visual Vernacular was created by Bernard Bragg around the 1960s.
It is art in deaf language and a completely visual technique!
A mixture of visually iconic sign language and bodily expression accompanied by mime. The aesthetics of communication brings internal and external freedom. The body expresses itself and the hands follow and guide the narration. It is a communication in the space where everything is said without words. A passionate visual art!
We work on rhythm, movement and the special effects which give life to a very aesthetic visual narration.
„Visual” in fact is naturally linked to the deaf culture whose essence is the view, the adjective „vernacular” derives rather from the reference to the spoken characteristic of a limited area, emblematic of a dialect, but still more specific.
The live videos from Instagram are available in the YouTube playlist, check them out !!
I offer you my services of variety activities
The workshops are exciting exercises to develop your body and facial expressions. Thanks to VV, you can master controlling the body, eyesight, technique, iconic gestures, and special effects. But also to improve your motor memory and your sign language. It turns out that learning VV requires a lot of energy but also a smile. With many fantastic exercises, you can stimulate your brain and develop your creativity.
The duration of the workshop is flexible according to your needs and your budget. The ideal is 30 hours to have level 1 but there is the possibility of going further up to level 3.
I guarantee you that time will fly fast before you realise!
You will discover and better understand is that it means « Visual Vernacular » and its principles. I present to you the original story since the creation of VV and its evolution until today. There will be demonstration with some examples of VV videos. Defining of VV techniques will be presented. You will be able to participate in short exercises related to VV which will be really fun.
The duration is 3 hours, possible to flexible extension.
I guarantee you that this conference will be fun, intense and very interesting!
I can do the shows for your association, celebration, birthday or wedding or any events. A story is about 5 minutes long and possibly make a pack of several stories according to your needs.
Also, I’m doing an hour-long show: “2080, who killed sign language?”. A mixed expression between VV and sign languages. This performance is intense, which had won 2 awards in 2019.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you wish to know more details.
My video shows are available on my social network icons, also there are more videos to watch on my YouTube channel.
If you have an individual or team project, make your VV show or VV videos, obviously, you want to improve your VV by optimizing your bodily, facial, gestural, iconic, expressions and many more so I am here to reassure you the excellent quality of your show!
See my planned agenda
Trainer, Coach & Performer
Erwan, trainer, coach, and Visual Vernacular performer, was born in Nancy and grew up in a bilingual environment (French Sign Language – LSF and written French). Since childhood, he has been passionate about the visual world: cinema, comics, 3D animation, video games, and manga.
For more than 15 years, he taught French Sign Language to hearing audiences while also developing strong skills in audiovisual production, video editing, design, and web animation. With a background in multimedia and graphic design, he now connects these technical skills with his artistic work on stage.
Since 2015, he has been teaching and performing Visual Vernacular – an artistic language combining body expression, sign languages, and visual theater. A student of the French deaf actor Simon Attia, Erwan has created his own unique style of VV, which he now shares through workshops, training, and performances across Europe and internationally.
Erwan communicates fluently in several sign languages: French, Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, and International Sign. He also understands many other variants, enabling him to connect with diverse audiences and build bridges between deaf communities worldwide.
His work has taken him to international stages and cultural events, bringing together people from different backgrounds. In 2019, his play “2080: Who Killed Sign Language?” won two awards (Best Screenplay and Best Actor) at the International Festival Territory of Gesture in Moscow. Since then, he continues to create, perform, and promote Visual Vernacular as a living and universal art form.
You can see my history of professional career from ‘My Career’ button below
© 2020 All Rights Reserved | By Erwan CIFRA