Chisato Minamimura: Mark of A Woman at Lowry

Blending movement, projection and sensory technology, Mark of a Woman is the latest solo show from Deaf Japanese-born artist Chisato Minamimura. Part dance, part installation and part storytelling, it’s a performance that uses sign language, animation and vibration technology to create a visceral experience that is as much felt as it is seen.

At its core, Mark of a Woman explores the personal and cultural histories of women and tattooing. From the origins of ‘tattoo’ as ‘to mark’, Minamimura unpicks how the body has been inscribed over centuries – as a form of identity, storytelling, survival, and, in some cases, ownership. This isn’t just about skin-deep decoration but about the resilience and beauty that can emerge from pain and trauma.

What makes the piece stand out is its accessibility. Minamimura incorporates BSL, captions, audio description, and Woojer vibration straps – vibrating belts that allow the audience to feel the sound through their bodies as part of the experience. In this performance, access and inclusion are not an afterthought but an integral part of the artistic language, enriching the experience for all audience members, whether Deaf, disabled or hearing.

Minamimura is a distinctive figure in contemporary performance. Born in Japan and now based in London, she is a Deaf performance artist, choreographer and BSL art guide whose work has taken her around the world. Highlights include aerial performances with Graeae Theatre Company and appearances in the London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony and Rio’s 2016 Cultural Olympiad. Trained at Trinity Laban, with a background in Japanese painting, she approaches choreography from a Deaf perspective, experimenting with ways to visualise sound and music. By blending dance, digital animation and ‘Visual Vernacular’ – a poetic, highly physical form of signed performance – her practice consistently challenges perceptions of sound, silence and human connection.

With its rich layering of history, politics and personal experience, Mark of a Woman is more than a performance – it’s an invitation to rethink how we experience stories on stage. Bold, sensory and inclusive, it promises to be one of the most distinctive works to come to Lowry this season.