You've got a can of tomato soup, take the label off and put like, I don't know a Mac and Cheese label on it there is still tomato soup, just a different label.
-Fletcher Felix Jenkins
With changing your gender being one of the biggest transformations you can make, I wanted to explore what it means to be transgender and more specifically what life is like aspiring to change from the gender you are assigned at birth. Influenced from American Photographers Nan Goldin, Mariette Pathy Allen and Melody Melamed's photographs surrounding the intersex communities, I wanted to experiment with my own documentary shots.
Top row : Mariette Pathy Allen
Mid row: Melody Melamed
Bottom row: Nan Goldin
Top row : Mariette Pathy Allen
Mid row: Melody Melamed
Bottom row: Nan Goldin
In my own photos I used myself as the subject. I tried to capture the process of flattening the chest with tape to appear more masculine in my images. |
|
|
I also experimented with 'cutting my hair'. Through portraying the action of this, it would show the stereotypical idea that one would cut their hair shorter into more of a boyish/masculine style. |
I feel these shots show some subtle insights into the starting stages of changing genders. These photos are an attempt to express the feelings of uncertainty and anxiety within the female gender, documenting some rational changes to transform some visual facets.
After taking these I felt there was still more I could play around with. I wanted to juxtapose my previous photos that portray a teenagers uncertainty with an older man's discontent towards their gender.
Once again I wanted to create subtle connections across the images, keeping the hands and pink shirt in most of the shots. By choosing not include his face it gives the person in the photographs anonymity, limiting what is revealed. The choice to include the dress was due to the confusion the individual would be feeling when confronted with it; a item of clothing can mean a lot more than a piece of material in this situation. My favourite images from this collection are the ones showing the ironing of a shirt, a daily routine he undertakes. I find the process of ironing connotes a sense of uniformity, flattening out the creases to hide any visual signs of disorder. Furthermore I can imagine that wearing clothes that don't enable you to be who you are must feel more like a costume to conceal your identity.
After taking these images I was able to share them and get some feedback from trans identifying Logan. I met Logan on a photography trip to the Tate Modern and although I wasn't originally aware of Logan's transformative process from female to male, it soon became relevant that we could exchange images, ideas and thoughts alongside me learning more about the feeling of gender dysphoria someone of my age is faced with. This took place over an Instagram conversation, a platform where we could easily exchange and view each others images.
|
Together we decided on creating a joint Instagram account called 'The Transition Exchange'. We combined both our images surrounding gender alongside producing a trail of exchanged images, a photographic conversation where we sent each other images and responded with a new one.
Logan is a talented photographer and filmmaker, we got along really well and continue to keep in contact, we have already been discussing plans for another collaborative project.
Documentary Film
After doing more research about the transgender community I came across one of Louis Theroux's documentaries called 'Transgender Kids'. I find all of Theroux's documentary projects ambitious and admirable, tackling many controversial issues. With children as young as three showing signs of rejecting their assigned gender, this documentary focuses on young children in San Francisco who are experiencing feelings of gender dysphoria. Aswell as meeting these young individuals, Theroux also met with a group of medical professionals who specifically help young children with the physical procedures that change one's gender.
|
Watching this inspired me to create a short documentary of my own. I have always wanted to incorporate film into my studies so felt this would be the ideal time to attempt it.
Although the prospect of meeting someone for the first time for a documentary interview seemed slightly daunting, Fletcher couldn't have been nicer company. He was easy going and really open with his story, teaching me more about the emotional and physical changes one faces when experiencing gender dysphoria. It was so interesting to sit and listen to his story, at just 16 he had already began making visual changes however, he still has lot more to overcome when deciding whether to begin the physical transformation. I filmed our whole conversation however I didn't account for level of background noise that would be audible in the footage. I made some sound adjustments in iMovie however I still find it intrusive, slightly distracting us from Fletchers words. For my next filming session I would definitely be taking an attachable microphone.
After contacting and finding another mutual friend with a similar story to Fletchers was 17 year old Ravi. He was an ex-boyfriend to a close friend of mine so when the time came to get to know him and his story , he was happy to meet with me and talk through his transition. Likewise to Fletcher Ravi now identifies as male and not the female gender he had been born with, he was however further down the line of making more physical changes such as regular testosterone injections to deepen his voice and stimulate body hair growth.
On our second meeting when the filming took place I was introduced to his current girlfriend Scarlett. It was great to meet her also to find out what it is like to be in a relationship with someone who identifies as transgender. It was great to see Ravi and his girlfriend so happy, confident with his transition and stage he is currently at. |
A final piece of film left to capture was a contemporary dance piece entitled 'Agenda'. A close friend had co-directed and was performing in it which I was able to video. This 10 minute routine explored gender roles and stereotypes and how the boundaries between the two genders are frequently merged. I felt by including shots in-between the interview footage it would give a unique element to my documentary, contrasting words with movement when expressing thoughts on gender.
After collecting and filming the final parts for my documentary I have become more familiar with the tools available in iMovie to edit with.
I have used simple editing techniques as I want to focus my film on what both Ravi and Fletcher are saying, switching between both their stories attempting to construct an informative and engaging narrative the topic of gender. I also recorded a voice over of myself narrating the events, adding a personal insight to my findings aswell as adding subtitles to reiterate some of the spoken parts in the video.
I have used simple editing techniques as I want to focus my film on what both Ravi and Fletcher are saying, switching between both their stories attempting to construct an informative and engaging narrative the topic of gender. I also recorded a voice over of myself narrating the events, adding a personal insight to my findings aswell as adding subtitles to reiterate some of the spoken parts in the video.
Overall I am pleased with the outcome, although still finding difficultly to address the audio issues from my interview with Fletcher, it is something I have learnt from and was able to rectify for my conversation with Ravi. I was really grateful that both of them were happy to share their stories and I am really hopeful that they will find soon find complete assurance and happiness in their new gender identities.