KO Ahra, a deaf dancer, navigates a world where hearing aids offer only a partial connection to sound. The nuances of speech remain beyond her grasp, and the music that fuels her dancing feels frustratingly distant. Despite these obstacles, KO Ahra embarks on a profound journey: motherhood. Haunted by childhood taunts in music class, she hasn't sung in twenty years. Yet, the birth of her child awakens a long-dormant desire. For the first time in two decades, Ko Ara sings a lullaby. This simple act reignites her love for music, prompting her to explore new artistic territories and craft a soundscape that is uniquely her own.
On the Wings of a Butterfly challenges conventional notions of music and hearing. Following KO Ahra, a hearing-impaired dancer and a mother of newborn who uses a hearing aid, the film explores profound questions about the nature of sound and music perception. The documentary gracefully interweaves KO Ahra's daily life—her worries, joys, and reflections—with her expressive stage movements. As she creates a new kind of music for herself, KO Ahra's hearing impairment becomes not a limitation, but a unique condition shaping her distinctive artistic world. In this realm, traditional distinctions between normal and abnormal, disabled and non-disabled, dissolve. There is only one dancer's movements, some music for her, and the new realm of sensations it delivers. A powerful scene captures KO Ahra wandering through everyday spaces and nature, wearing headphones and sharing sounds captured by her handheld microphone. As she dances to these sounds, the film creates a bridge between the artist's sensory experience and the audience's perception. This moment exemplifies art's fundamental value in connecting ‘self’ and ‘other,’ demonstrating deep understanding, respect, and an unwavering belief in artistic expression's power.
Can music truly be denied to those who are deaf? The spectrum of human hearing is vast – is it just to reduce it to a binary of 'normal' or 'deaf'? Yet, music has historically been the domain of the so-called 'normal' hearing, rendering art an exclusive privilege. But what is music? What does it mean to truly listen? These questions are explored through the lens of KO Ahra, a deaf dancer who has never fully experienced music as most do. This film documents KO Ahra's journey, not as a passive recipient of art, but as an active participant in its creation. We witness her embrace her deaf identity, challenge preconceived notions of music, and ultimately, emerge as an artist in her own right.