My Intersex
2018
2018
My Intersex documents the dysphoria experienced by people with variations of sex characteristics, historically and inaccurately referred to as “hermaphrodites,” an obsolete and harmful term.
The work addresses the social anxiety imposed by rigid, widely accepted gender norms. It explores the space “between genders” by examining perceived similarities to culturally defined ideas of “male” and “female,” focusing on genital diversity and how, like all human anatomy, it varies naturally in size, structure, and form.
The project takes shape as an abstract, pliable sculpture that embodies the societal barriers imposed on minorities. Drawing on both theoretical references and speculative thinking about a future in which humanity may evolve toward a single sex, the work aims to raise awareness beyond the intersex community and challenge misconceptions around equality and identity.
Sound plays a crucial role: a composition built from recordings of non-surgical vocal-training methods, including phonetic exercises used to modify tone by “bending” the vocal cords. Layered with this is a distinctive high-frequency emergency beep, an audio signal permitted only in presidential alerts in the United States, used here to underscore the urgency and gravity of the subject.
The work addresses the social anxiety imposed by rigid, widely accepted gender norms. It explores the space “between genders” by examining perceived similarities to culturally defined ideas of “male” and “female,” focusing on genital diversity and how, like all human anatomy, it varies naturally in size, structure, and form.
The project takes shape as an abstract, pliable sculpture that embodies the societal barriers imposed on minorities. Drawing on both theoretical references and speculative thinking about a future in which humanity may evolve toward a single sex, the work aims to raise awareness beyond the intersex community and challenge misconceptions around equality and identity.
Sound plays a crucial role: a composition built from recordings of non-surgical vocal-training methods, including phonetic exercises used to modify tone by “bending” the vocal cords. Layered with this is a distinctive high-frequency emergency beep, an audio signal permitted only in presidential alerts in the United States, used here to underscore the urgency and gravity of the subject.
Filed under:
Visual Poetry, Film
Visual Poetry, Film
"My Intersex" featured on the Camberwell Short Film Festival 2018