In new Jamie xx video "Sleep Sound" deaf dancers move to the silence with artist Sofia Mattioli

“I was on a train listening to music, getting deep into it, and this girl started staring at me,” says London-based artist and poet Sofia Mattioli of the genesis of her video for Jamie xx’s “Sleep Sound.” “After a while I took my headphones off and she came up to me, started signing and then wrote me a note to say that she was deaf but could almost feel the music by my movement.” With the germ of an idea from this chance encounter, Mattioli was asked to create a video for the member of The xx and Grammy-winning producer of Alicia Keys, Gil Scott-Heron and Drake. During the course of one day, she danced with 13 members of the Manchester Deaf Centre with ages ranging from five to 27 years old, who responded to the movement of the artist and the vibrations in the air given off by the song. “The relationship between silence and music is a big part of what I am trying to express with my work,” says Mattioli. “The first kid in the video, Archie, was bliss—all of them were amazing. I hope this is a project I can develop further.”