The former fire alarm station in Albert Winn Park once served as a vital communication hub, receiving and dispatching emergency signals across the city. Its history of centralized alert systems provides a powerful backdrop for examining who remains unheard when those systems are operational.

 

Our video confronts the confusion and isolation the Deaf community often experiences during emergencies. Critical information rarely reaches Deaf people in time—or in accessible forms—leaving them overlooked and vulnerable. Valerie appears in the video as multiple characters navigating layers of miscommunication, cognitive distortion, and escalating uncertainty. Through shifting perspectives and fragmented interactions, the piece visualizes the disorienting gap between urgent public signals and personal access.

Playfulness and whimsy intertwine with genuine distress, creating a tone that is meant to be both engaging and unsettling. This deliberate mix encourages viewers into the experience rather than distancing them through pure documentation or lecture. By blending light-hearted absurdity with moments of real anxiety, we can highlight systemic oversights without sacrificing emotional connection.

Ultimately, the work calls attention to underserved communities whose needs are routinely sidelined in crisis planning. We are asking audiences to consider how public infrastructure—past and present—can either include or exclude, and how art might expand the coordinates of who gets to receive the dispatch.

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@dylan_tellesen

@hellovalerierose