2-channel video projection
Variable dimensions
2006
Richard Humann • The Quiet Argument • 2-channel video projections • Variable dimensions • 2006
The Quiet Argument by Richard Humann is a two-channel silent video installation depicting two hands engaged in an argument using American Sign Language. Projected onto large opposing screens, the moving hands create a visual exchange that surrounds the viewer, who must walk between the projections to occupy the very center of the disagreement. With no sound element, the work communicates entirely through gesture and movement, immersing the viewer in a conversation that unfolds without spoken words or audible expression.
The work transforms internal conflict into a physical experience. The opposing hands represent the competing voices within each of us, the ongoing tension between thought and emotion, reason and desire, and what we believe versus what we feel. These internal debates often remain invisible to others, yet they shape our decisions, relationships, and understanding of ourselves. The argument requires no external audience; it accompanies us wherever we go, unfolding within our own minds and hearts.
Inspired by a passage from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the installation explores the universal nature of inner conflict. By using American Sign Language, Humann gives language a physical presence, making the hands themselves the instruments of disagreement. Their gestures communicate meaning without sound, emphasizing that communication extends beyond speech and that some of our most profound exchanges take place silently, beyond the reach of others.
The space between the projections is central to the work. Rather than presenting the argument on a page or confining it to a single screen, Humann constructs the disagreement within the environment itself. The viewer stands between the opposing gestures, occupying the territory where conflicting ideas meet. This physical position mirrors the experience of being caught between competing impulses, unable to fully separate one side from the other.
The Quiet Argument invites viewers to consider the conflicts they carry within themselves: the decisions they revisit, the beliefs they question, and the competing desires that resist easy resolution. By turning an invisible psychological struggle into a silent, spatial encounter, Humann reveals the persistent dialogue between opposing forces that shapes human experience. The argument remains unresolved, suggesting that inner conflict is not always something to overcome, but an ongoing part of how we understand ourselves and navigate the world.
Photo credit: Richard Humann Studio