Silence is my Habitat

A tactile and olfactory journey through a silent ecosystem

Silence is my Habitat by Jessica White explores the profound connection between her deafness and the natural world. Deaf since she was four years old, White presents an ecobiography – a narrative that examines her interaction with her ecosystem and its influence on her identity. Through a series of essays, she elaborates on how her deafness has moulded and enriched her bond with nature.

"Deafness made me observant and quiet. Because I could not hear enough to join in on conversations, my attention often wandered or was absorbed by sensations other than sound - morning sun on my forearms, the thick, sweet scent of flowering oleanders, the triangular shadow of a flock of galahs flying overhead."

White further reflects on her experiences during long bus trips, observing the sorghum ripening under the sun and kangaroos leaping among the wheat stubble, as shadows grew long. The tactile sensations of the bus's vibrations over cattle grids and gravel roads frame her narrative.

The essays in Silence is my Habitat delve into how her deafness shapes her engagement with environments, discovering the world through tactile and olfactory means when certain sounds remain out of reach.