Huddle

Huddle revisits the historical significance of Deaf huddling, a formation devised by Gallaudet University’s Deaf gridiron team in the 1890s to create a protected, visual space for sign language, shielded from the gaze of the opposing team.

In the film, Deaf performers gather tightly, exchanging thoughts on visibility, privacy, and the dynamics of watching and being watched. In Deaf and hearing worlds, these dynamics manifest differently, revealing the huddle as a site where cultural, social, and spatial production converge to create a unique Deaf space.

Huddle offers a glimpse into the ways in which Deaf bodies actively shape spaces that resist intrusion and provide sanctuary – a testament to the self-defined and resilient boundaries of Deaf experience.

Huddle will screen on the Fed Square Big Screen each evening.

Huddle has been co-commissioned by Fed Square and RECESS, as part of Open Air at the Square.