Uploaded March 2021 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
I have manifested this film since childhood, but its actualization could not exist in scarcity.
Luckily, it has grown along with me, perspective and resources expanding.
Shooting this piece required both the cast and production’s full hearts as we waded into our vulnerabilities. This ease was translated into the final film; we carried that rawness with us.
And, when we stepped in front of the camera, it was just our hearts, you know?
I am forever grateful and proud of the healing and connections that were created this day.
In addition to the performance, another layer was added as I had the utmost pleasure of collaborating with Private Policy, a genderless, Asian-led brand.
In the fashion industry, there is an enormous lack of disabled representation, and with 15% of the world’s population belonging to this community - it’s way past due for change.
As an artist and human being, I have always desired complete control over my body and the ways I present it. This created conflict after receiving my first hearing aids at four years old.
Years passed, along with my hearing, and I began to wear hearing aids...then cochlear implants. Having grown up mainstream, I was grateful for this option.
Yet the appearance of hearing aids and cochlear implants have always created a disconnect. The pieces never felt like me, and I had no control over their designs. I always found myself brainstorming ways to reclaim the machinery that had become my part of me.
So, in collaboration with Private Policy, we designed flexible ear jewelry to work easily with anyone wearing a hearing aid or cochlear implant!
Redefining the machinery with my art replaced the rigidity with fluidity.
Understanding the significance, it was only fitting to bring this project in tandem with the visuals I had only dreamt about which became my film, The Beauty of Being Deaf.
In honor of National Deaf History Month, this limited edition jewelry is available here:
thebeautyofbeingdeaf.com
Each piece is hand-made, gold-plated, and one of a kind!
50% of the profit from pre-ordering will go to Deaf Queer Resource Center!
_
Director, Writer, Editor : Chella Man
Producers: Siying and Chella Man
Jewelry created by Private Policy x Chella Man
Cast: Rayly Aquino, Raven Sutton, Chella Man
Videographer: Vivarium Imagery from Onion Studio
BTS Photographer: MaryV
Video Stills curated by Chella Man
ASL Mentors: Douglas Ridloff, Oliver Stabbe
Interpreters: Jacinda Damas, Alisa Besher
Casting: Kate Antognini
_
Transcript:
The Beauty of Being Deaf
Chella:
When you think of beauty, you’re not taught to think of me.
We are often told:
We have lost.
We have a loss.
We are at a loss.
Raven:
To an extent...this is true.
But, through this loss, there is great gain.
Perhaps even such a gain that we forget about loss.
Deaf gain grants us:
Rayly:
Strength in the face of prejudice -
Other senses heightened -
Both coming together to form:
a dynamic perspective of life that I will always carry.
I see the-
Jalen:
*moves to show the ripples of water*
Ripples of vibrations…
I feel them.
Raven:
Experiencing what others are
Too busy to appreciate.
Sound is movement -
I make with my body
And see with my eyes.
Chella:
Like a superpower -
I can switch it on or off.
Jalen:
This unique skill set…*expertise*
this...DEAF GAIN
Has built community.
Raven:
Culture.
Rayly:
Establishing a continuum of people
Who are different...yet connected.
Chella:
And how beautiful is it to be able to communicate underwater?
I have manifested this film since childhood, but its actualization could not exist in scarcity.
Luckily, it has grown along with me, perspective and resources expanding.
Shooting this piece required both the cast and production’s full hearts as we waded into our vulnerabilities. This ease was translated into the final film; we carried that rawness with us.
And, when we stepped in front of the camera, it was just our hearts, you know?
I am forever grateful and proud of the healing and connections that were created this day.
In addition to the performance, another layer was added as I had the utmost pleasure of collaborating with Private Policy, a genderless, Asian-led brand.
In the fashion industry, there is an enormous lack of disabled representation, and with 15% of the world’s population belonging to this community - it’s way past due for change.
As an artist and human being, I have always desired complete control over my body and the ways I present it. This created conflict after receiving my first hearing aids at four years old.
Years passed, along with my hearing, and I began to wear hearing aids...then cochlear implants. Having grown up mainstream, I was grateful for this option.
Yet the appearance of hearing aids and cochlear implants have always created a disconnect. The pieces never felt like me, and I had no control over their designs. I always found myself brainstorming ways to reclaim the machinery that had become my part of me.
So, in collaboration with Private Policy, we designed flexible ear jewelry to work easily with anyone wearing a hearing aid or cochlear implant!
Redefining the machinery with my art replaced the rigidity with fluidity.
Understanding the significance, it was only fitting to bring this project in tandem with the visuals I had only dreamt about which became my film, The Beauty of Being Deaf.
In honor of National Deaf History Month, this limited edition jewelry is available here:
thebeautyofbeingdeaf.com
Each piece is hand-made, gold-plated, and one of a kind!
50% of the profit from pre-ordering will go to Deaf Queer Resource Center!
_
Director, Writer, Editor : Chella Man
Producers: Siying and Chella Man
Jewelry created by Private Policy x Chella Man
Cast: Rayly Aquino, Raven Sutton, Chella Man
Videographer: Vivarium Imagery from Onion Studio
BTS Photographer: MaryV
Video Stills curated by Chella Man
ASL Mentors: Douglas Ridloff, Oliver Stabbe
Interpreters: Jacinda Damas, Alisa Besher
Casting: Kate Antognini
_
Transcript:
The Beauty of Being Deaf
Chella:
When you think of beauty, you’re not taught to think of me.
We are often told:
We have lost.
We have a loss.
We are at a loss.
Raven:
To an extent...this is true.
But, through this loss, there is great gain.
Perhaps even such a gain that we forget about loss.
Deaf gain grants us:
Rayly:
Strength in the face of prejudice -
Other senses heightened -
Both coming together to form:
a dynamic perspective of life that I will always carry.
I see the-
Jalen:
*moves to show the ripples of water*
Ripples of vibrations…
I feel them.
Raven:
Experiencing what others are
Too busy to appreciate.
Sound is movement -
I make with my body
And see with my eyes.
Chella:
Like a superpower -
I can switch it on or off.
Jalen:
This unique skill set…*expertise*
this...DEAF GAIN
Has built community.
Raven:
Culture.
Rayly:
Establishing a continuum of people
Who are different...yet connected.
Chella:
And how beautiful is it to be able to communicate underwater?
