Dissonant Allegories: In Pursuit of Trans Documentary

Dissonant Allegories: In Pursuit of Trans Documentary  seeks to tease out possibilities of trans+ creative practices in nonfiction film through isolating specific techniques within documentary forms. This isolation reflects the ways in which trans+ people apprehend specific ways of living (like physical presentation, mental manifestation, and medical intervention) and transform them into new paths of existence that carry us beyond cis-hetero-patriarchal ways of being. In isolating particular tactics of cinematic and documentary forms,  the exhibition aims to create a space of contemplation where a viewer can step in and consider trans+ life ways through the apparatus of cinematic image and creation. Presenting such a view of trans+ image-making will move beyond the representational regime trans+ folks find themselves existing within (especially in documentary film) and offer alternative launching points for conversations and engagements about how trans+ people can continue to make art that reflects our lived experience.

This project is a video installation with community activations during its two-week run. The exhibition will include 3-5 short video works that all explore trans+ experience and life ways through particular cinematic techniques in documentary/ nonfiction. Each brief film will act as an experiment in form, finding connections between film tactics and ways that trans+ people continue to survive and live out our lives each day. The films will be a mix of single and multi-channel works and will vary in duration from a few seconds to two minutes, each on a loop.