SignDNA: a Deaf/NZSL archive

By Deafradio

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NZ $10,415 pledged


85 people pledged


Closed


NZ $10,000 minimum target


100 100% Complete

This campaign was successful and closed on 27/01/2013 at 4:59 PM.

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About

SignDNA: A Deaf::Nzsl Archive

Project 2012-11-15 03:16:02 +1300


The Deaf community's visual history is literally dissolving before our eyes.

Hundreds of vintage films and videos, documenting the history of New Zealand Sign Language and the Deaf community are in urgent need of collection and preservation.

We need your help. 

The SignDNA project has received dozens of donated films and videos (8mm, 16mm) covering the visual history of the New Zealand Deaf Community – from the early 1950s to the late 1990s. From this collection, we have identified 50 old film reels desperately at risk from irreparable decay, and we need you to help save them!


Films collected so far cover an amazing spectrum of categories, listed below.

Sports – NZ Deaf Games, Open Championships, NZ Deaf Rugby, World Deaf Games, prizegiving events, meetings, speeches, Trans-Tasman games.

Education – Jubilee, events, trips, functions, schools, students, meetings, interviews, stories.

Community Events – balls, speeches, socialising, parties, modelling, picnics, events, workshops, awards, conferences.

Storytelling/Performance – sign-singing, stories, jokes, drama/theatre.

Documentary/TV – footage from TV that includes Deaf people/NZSL, interviews, documentaries, film, news, advertisements.

Deaf Organisations/Deaf Clubs – AGM, discussions, history, interviews, meetings, social events, picnics, conferences, openings, launches.

Deaf Youth – camps, leadership training, workshops, socialising, stories.

Maori Deaf – events, early footage of Maori Deaf leaders.

Interpreting – graduations, speeches, presentations, panels.

Sign Language – parties, speeches, NZSL, TC, stories, workshops.

Interviews – life stories, misc.

Other – Deaf women, religious events.


SignDNA - Sign Language Deaf National Archive


SignDNA is a project aimed at preserving the visual history of the NZ Deaf Community. Deaf New Zealanders are amazingly visual people, who use a visual language based on linguistic gestures and movement - New Zealand Sign Language, which is an official language (NZSL Act 2006).

NZSL has no written form. Therefore, while other aspects of Deaf history are available in other formats, such as photos and books for example, film and video are the only methods to capture Sign Language and the rich culture it contains and expresses. 

As the footage ages it is at high risk of substrate decay, called "vinegar syndrome" for its strong smell! This condition is permanent and renders the film unreadable, its contents lost forever. Sadly we have already many donated films as suffering from this blight.

$10,000 is needed urgently to digitise the 50 most at risk films before their contents are lost forever. This equates to $200 per film for professional digitisation, analysis and categorisation, and processing into the archive.



SignDNA's vision

Our vision is to conserve our visual history for all New Zealanders to access, by locating old films and videos from the Deaf community; digitise them into a digital format, and host them in an online archive for all to access for free.

The SignDNA website – www.signDNA.org.nz, to be officially released in 2013, can be openly used for research, personal interest, educational purposes among others. This project will be carried out in collaboration with other digital partners, to help find NZ digital material related to the New Zealand Deaf community that is hidden or buried on the internet or in other archives. This will be a globally unique archive and we hope that others countries will be inspired to follow suit.

Thank you for your consideration, and please feel free to get in touch for more information via email: [email protected]

NB. Screenshots of videos above generously donated by Auckland Deaf Society's Senior Citizens group, Sue Penman, Pam Croskery, and Dulcie McKie. Edited video shown here donated by Auckland Deaf Society's Senior Citizens group. 



Comments

Updates 3

Thank YOU!

27/01/2013 at 4:06 AM

Cutting it extremely, extremely close but SignDNA has achieved $10,415 in pledges! THANKS! We're beyond delighted and grateful to all those who pledged a donation or helped spread the word. Special thanks to Otago Deaf Society and Otago-Southland Deaf Sports Combined for their massive last minute donation of $2K. Ball officially rolling on this project! We'll be in touch tomorrow with our amazing pledgers! xx

No credit card? Worry not!

16/12/2012 at 11:30 PM

FYI: PledgeMe is only able to accept credit card payments. For people wanting to make a bank transfer instead, please get in touch with us via [email protected] for our bank details. We will then put up a donation on your behalf online!

Mucho gracias x

One-quarter there!

13/12/2012 at 9:21 PM

To everyone who has contributed to the project, thank YOUUU! We'd bake you all a Christmas cake if we could!

We are now just over one-quarter towards our goal, and we'll get there with YOUR help! Please bear with us while we hammer your phones and inboxes. Perhaps you could contribute as a Christmas present for someone you know? ;)

In the meantime, here at SignDNA, we've been getting down and dirty - going through hundreds of VHS and DVD contributions in recent days with our volunteers. Believe us when we say our history, the history of the NZ Deaf community, is nothing short of awe-amazing!

Hats off to our volunteers, you rock!

    Pledgers 85

    Claire Muller
    24/12/2012 at 2:07pm
    Connect Interpreting
    20/12/2012 at 10:04pm
    Tony Howe
    18/12/2012 at 9:44am
    David McKee
    17/12/2012 at 10:12pm
    Anonymous pledger
    16/12/2012 at 10:40pm
    Angus McDonald
    12/12/2012 at 8:09am
    Fred And Sabine Muller
    11/12/2012 at 6:35pm
    Amanda Everitt
    11/12/2012 at 5:58am
    janet mcnally
    07/12/2012 at 1:34pm
    Michael Lockrey
    06/12/2012 at 11:00pm
    Moira Clunie
    05/12/2012 at 8:08pm
    fiona brennan
    04/12/2012 at 9:23am
    Michael Heuberger
    04/12/2012 at 2:49am
    Corin Haines
    27/11/2012 at 6:54am
    Lynx
    25/11/2012 at 9:31am
    M E C
    24/11/2012 at 9:42am
    Anonymous pledger
    24/11/2012 at 8:17am
    Kevin & Lynette Pivac
    22/11/2012 at 9:08pm
    Zeborah
    22/11/2012 at 7:44pm
    Anonymous pledger
    21/11/2012 at 11:32am
    Shane Farrow
    20/11/2012 at 8:59am
    Daniel Hanks
    19/11/2012 at 9:58pm
    Sonia Pivac
    19/11/2012 at 9:53pm
    Darryl Alexander & Sara Pivac Alexander
    19/11/2012 at 9:43pm
    Christopher Dempsey
    19/11/2012 at 4:52pm

    Followers 3

    Followers of SignDNA: a Deaf/NZSL archive

    SignDNA: A Deaf::Nzsl Archive

    Project 2012-11-15 03:16:02 +1300


    The Deaf community's visual history is literally dissolving before our eyes.

    Hundreds of vintage films and videos, documenting the history of New Zealand Sign Language and the Deaf community are in urgent need of collection and preservation.

    We need your help. 

    The SignDNA project has received dozens of donated films and videos (8mm, 16mm) covering the visual history of the New Zealand Deaf Community – from the early 1950s to the late 1990s. From this collection, we have identified 50 old film reels desperately at risk from irreparable decay, and we need you to help save them!


    Films collected so far cover an amazing spectrum of categories, listed below.

    Sports – NZ Deaf Games, Open Championships, NZ Deaf Rugby, World Deaf Games, prizegiving events, meetings, speeches, Trans-Tasman games.

    Education – Jubilee, events, trips, functions, schools, students, meetings, interviews, stories.

    Community Events – balls, speeches, socialising, parties, modelling, picnics, events, workshops, awards, conferences.

    Storytelling/Performance – sign-singing, stories, jokes, drama/theatre.

    Documentary/TV – footage from TV that includes Deaf people/NZSL, interviews, documentaries, film, news, advertisements.

    Deaf Organisations/Deaf Clubs – AGM, discussions, history, interviews, meetings, social events, picnics, conferences, openings, launches.

    Deaf Youth – camps, leadership training, workshops, socialising, stories.

    Maori Deaf – events, early footage of Maori Deaf leaders.

    Interpreting – graduations, speeches, presentations, panels.

    Sign Language – parties, speeches, NZSL, TC, stories, workshops.

    Interviews – life stories, misc.

    Other – Deaf women, religious events.


    SignDNA - Sign Language Deaf National Archive


    SignDNA is a project aimed at preserving the visual history of the NZ Deaf Community. Deaf New Zealanders are amazingly visual people, who use a visual language based on linguistic gestures and movement - New Zealand Sign Language, which is an official language (NZSL Act 2006).

    NZSL has no written form. Therefore, while other aspects of Deaf history are available in other formats, such as photos and books for example, film and video are the only methods to capture Sign Language and the rich culture it contains and expresses. 

    As the footage ages it is at high risk of substrate decay, called "vinegar syndrome" for its strong smell! This condition is permanent and renders the film unreadable, its contents lost forever. Sadly we have already many donated films as suffering from this blight.

    $10,000 is needed urgently to digitise the 50 most at risk films before their contents are lost forever. This equates to $200 per film for professional digitisation, analysis and categorisation, and processing into the archive.



    SignDNA's vision

    Our vision is to conserve our visual history for all New Zealanders to access, by locating old films and videos from the Deaf community; digitise them into a digital format, and host them in an online archive for all to access for free.

    The SignDNA website – www.signDNA.org.nz, to be officially released in 2013, can be openly used for research, personal interest, educational purposes among others. This project will be carried out in collaboration with other digital partners, to help find NZ digital material related to the New Zealand Deaf community that is hidden or buried on the internet or in other archives. This will be a globally unique archive and we hope that others countries will be inspired to follow suit.

    Thank you for your consideration, and please feel free to get in touch for more information via email: [email protected]

    NB. Screenshots of videos above generously donated by Auckland Deaf Society's Senior Citizens group, Sue Penman, Pam Croskery, and Dulcie McKie. Edited video shown here donated by Auckland Deaf Society's Senior Citizens group. 



    Comments

    Thank YOU!

    27/01/2013 at 4:06 AM

    Cutting it extremely, extremely close but SignDNA has achieved $10,415 in pledges! THANKS! We're beyond delighted and grateful to all those who pledged a donation or helped spread the word. Special thanks to Otago Deaf Society and Otago-Southland Deaf Sports Combined for their massive last minute donation of $2K. Ball officially rolling on this project! We'll be in touch tomorrow with our amazing pledgers! xx

    No credit card? Worry not!

    16/12/2012 at 11:30 PM

    FYI: PledgeMe is only able to accept credit card payments. For people wanting to make a bank transfer instead, please get in touch with us via [email protected] for our bank details. We will then put up a donation on your behalf online!

    Mucho gracias x

    One-quarter there!

    13/12/2012 at 9:21 PM

    To everyone who has contributed to the project, thank YOUUU! We'd bake you all a Christmas cake if we could!

    We are now just over one-quarter towards our goal, and we'll get there with YOUR help! Please bear with us while we hammer your phones and inboxes. Perhaps you could contribute as a Christmas present for someone you know? ;)

    In the meantime, here at SignDNA, we've been getting down and dirty - going through hundreds of VHS and DVD contributions in recent days with our volunteers. Believe us when we say our history, the history of the NZ Deaf community, is nothing short of awe-amazing!

    Hats off to our volunteers, you rock!
      Claire Muller
      24/12/2012 at 2:07pm
      Connect Interpreting
      20/12/2012 at 10:04pm
      Tony Howe
      18/12/2012 at 9:44am
      David McKee
      17/12/2012 at 10:12pm
      Anonymous pledger
      16/12/2012 at 10:40pm
      Angus McDonald
      12/12/2012 at 8:09am
      Fred And Sabine Muller
      11/12/2012 at 6:35pm
      Amanda Everitt
      11/12/2012 at 5:58am
      janet mcnally
      07/12/2012 at 1:34pm
      Michael Lockrey
      06/12/2012 at 11:00pm
      Moira Clunie
      05/12/2012 at 8:08pm
      fiona brennan
      04/12/2012 at 9:23am
      Michael Heuberger
      04/12/2012 at 2:49am
      Corin Haines
      27/11/2012 at 6:54am
      Lynx
      25/11/2012 at 9:31am
      M E C
      24/11/2012 at 9:42am
      Anonymous pledger
      24/11/2012 at 8:17am
      Kevin & Lynette Pivac
      22/11/2012 at 9:08pm
      Zeborah
      22/11/2012 at 7:44pm
      Anonymous pledger
      21/11/2012 at 11:32am
      Shane Farrow
      20/11/2012 at 8:59am
      Daniel Hanks
      19/11/2012 at 9:58pm
      Sonia Pivac
      19/11/2012 at 9:53pm
      Darryl Alexander & Sara Pivac Alexander
      19/11/2012 at 9:43pm
      Christopher Dempsey
      19/11/2012 at 4:52pm

      Followers of SignDNA: a Deaf/NZSL archive

      This campaign was successful and got its funding on 27/01/2013 at 4:59 PM.