Leah Enya Duncan

“The Shape of Understanding”

'This project explores language, accessibility, and the many ways people communicate beyond speech. For some individuals, communication barriers are a daily reality that can lead to exclusion, misunderstanding, and isolation. Influenced by growing up with a non-verbal autistic sister who primarily communicates through gesture and learns Makaton at school, I have witnessed firsthand how communication is often limited not by a person’s ability to express themselves, but by society’s expectation that communication must be verbal.

To communicate with my sister, I learned to adapt my communication style, using gestures, visual cues, patience, and observation. This experience taught me that meaningful communication exists far beyond spoken language and that understanding often requires effort from both sides. The work encourages viewers to reflect on their own assumptions about communication and to recognise non-verbal forms of expression as equally valuable and valid.

The installation transforms the gallery space into an environment of both communication and disconnection. The surrounding walls are covered with text formed from casts of hands spelling British Sign Language (BSL). At first glance, the text appears familiar, resembling written language arranged into paragraphs, yet for many viewers it remains unreadable. Instinctively, audiences attempt to decipher the message, only to encounter a barrier similar to that experienced by many Deaf, non-verbal, and neurodivergent individuals navigating a predominantly verbal world. Deliberately, no translation is provided. Instead, viewers are invited to sit with the discomfort of not understanding and consider the effort often required of marginalised communities to adapt to systems that were not designed for them.'             

  Leah Enya Duncan has just graduated from Glasgow School of Art.