Elvin Lam is a Deaf performer and visual artist whose work encompasses dance, children’s entertainment, multimedia, animation and textiles.
Born in Hong Kong, where he studied Costume & Set Design at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing, Lam uncovered his identity as an artist upon moving to Australia in 2000 where he learned Auslan. Since then, Auslan has been a dominate feature in his work. A career highlight came in 2022 when he performed a duet with Emma Watkins at Carols by Candlelight where he signed Auslan for Little Drummer Boy. Lam’s collaboration with Watkins is continuing with the development of a children’s entertainment project that includes television, live touring and books where Lam portrays a Deaf character named Elvin Melvin.
In this Colour Box Studio interview, Lam discusses his new short video work currently exhibiting at Next Wave Festival, feeling stuck between the Hearing and the Deaf worlds, and his upcoming project Sign Singing on Ice.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do.
I’m Elvin Lam (he/him) and I’m profoundly Deaf. I was born in Hong Kong and moved to Australia as an adult. I work for the Public Service and freelance as a visual artist and performer.
How did you start your creative practice and why?
I started as a dancer around 2004 in the group Deaf Can Dance and later with the Delta Project, performing around Australia. I continued to dance until Covid and lockdowns put an end to that for a while, and I had a kind of second creative beginning as I began making more visual art at home. I was approached by Arts Access Victoria to make a multimedia work that showed at the Victorian Arts Centre, and the visual art kind of took off from there.
Where did you grow up and how has it influenced your practice?
I grew up in Hong Kong. I was raised in an “oralist” environment, where speech, hearing aids and lipreading are emphasised, and sign language is excluded. I felt stuck between the Deaf and the Hearing worlds, as a person who could neither hear nor sign. There was a rigid way of thinking at my school; I was taught there was only one right answer to any question. I felt lost until I moved to Australia, where my world opened up. I found sign language (Auslan), diverse people and a wide range of opinions. I found my own identity and was able to put all that into my art.
Tell us about your past creative projects. What has been your most treasured creation so far?
The work that’s maybe closest to my heart is Deafuturama, which explored my utopian vision of a fully accessible world in different spheres of society.
A career highlight was performing a duet with Emma Watkins at Carols by Candlelight in 2022; I signed an Auslan translation of The Little Drummer Boy which was watched live by millions of people around Australia.
Deafuturama was commissioned by Arts Access Victoria as part of The Museum of Us exhibition at Arts Centre Melbourne, 2021, in which 50 Deaf and Disabled artists were invited to explore what an accessible future for Victoria might look like.
Tell us about your current projects?
I’m working on three projects at the moment:
1. I just finished “Under My Tongue, Under My Hands”, a short video work that will be exhibited as part of the Next Wave festival at Brunswick Mechanics Institute, 18-29 July this year.
2. I got a grant to work with a photographic mentor to make a new series of photographic images. I’m really excited about this one. Stay tuned!
3. Sign Singing on Ice – I will do a solo ice skating performance incorporating sign-singing at the end of the year.
I’m also continuing to work with Emma Watkins in children’s entertainment as the character Elvin Melvin. We sing, sign and dance. It’s fun and educational. In includes TV appearances, live touring and books.
Who or what inspires your practice?
Being deaf is a big part of what inspires my work. I want to make people more aware of deafness and the barriers we face, and also what we are capable of. We have a unique perspective to offer in creative arts.
Where do you feel most creative and why?
For me personally I found Australia to be a more diverse, open minded and accepting environment than Hong Kong, with people generally and in the arts.
What gets you through creative challenges or tough industry times?
Like all artists, the biggest barrier for me is funding. There’s never enough money. You must be willing to work at times without pay. For me, networking has also been a big challenge. I was able to get some support from the Midsumma Pathways program and Arts Access Victoria to build my career. I tell myself that even when I hit roadblocks, I’m still building skills and a reputation, and it will lead somewhere eventually.
Whose work are you digging at the moment?
Check out these local Deaf artists!
Gonketa, Anna Seymour, Selwyn Hoffman, Luke King, Asphyxia, Chelle Destefano (Colour Box Studio interviewed Chelle last year, read here), Sue Wright.
Where can we find and follow you online?
Instagram: @elvin_deaf_art / @elvinmelvinofficial
You can find my website here.