A queer reliquary
My thesis work, REFLECTION, focuses on gender identity, religion, and speculative design. As a proud transgender man with a background in industrial design and anthropology, my work aims to examine and present the possibilities of being transgender in a profound and endearing way.
The art I make examines several topics that viewers harbor misconceptions about. I design and build hypothetical religious objects (books, reliquaries, coffins, etc) that both describe and offer solutions to the various struggles I face as a trans man, Lutheran, and human being.
I hope to give viewers an intimate sense of what it’s like to look upon themselves and find wonder in their own being.
Ultimately, I seek to break stereotypes and encourage people to feel a comfortable empathy with their trans neighbors through interactions with my work.
Gold
For all of human history, there has been a worldwide fascination with gold. The symbolic power of gold infiltrates our language in many metaphors (silence is golden, golden rule, gold standard, good as gold) and therefore our culture as a substance endlessly deified for its allure. Its ability to glow and reflect light is used to transform pieces to an almost kitschy level of importance.
The Script
The writing seen on various pieces is a coded script I created in 2018 to hide my private thoughts when I began to earnestly explore my identity and options as a trans person. It is written with the left hand from right to left and incorporates calligraphic flourishes. It is called Bleedthrough, for its appearance of forward writing bleeding through a page, as well as the ability of things you want to hide always bleeding through - for better or for worse.
The Furniture
Custom tables, pedestals, and stands were designed and fabricated to match the art they hold. When the pieces were tested with typical rectangular pedestals, the look of the boxy white shapes distracted from the rigid craft of the work. The tables echo the form of the ellipses, tapering angles, gold edgework, and color scheme of the show.
Seven stools were also constructed for visitors to sit on and rest while looking at the works.
The Light
Colored LED strips and spotlights backlight many of the works to elevate their auras into something familiar yet sublime as they mimic the use of light in sacred spaces.