12/10/2024 | silkscreen on skin
note about the models - all of the models are portrayed and credited exactly how each one has asked me to. some models have asked for relative anonymity, some models have asked for their faces to be hidden, and others are fine as is. there is photographed nudity in this series, but all of these photos are uploaded with full informed consent from each individual, and will be taken down if that consent is revoked.
like a school of fish is a project i did as my final for my screenprinting class. the project involved weeks of planning, and then, screenprinting on fourteen volunteers all at once. the best way to view this piece is to see it on the models themselves, both separately and together, as they live their lives - the second best way is through the photos i took to document the process and the results.
for this project, i asked for volunteers attending my college identifying as something other than cisgender. fourteen people graciously volunteered their time and were able to join despite their busy schedules. represented in this group are people who identify as transgender, nonbinary, transsexual, two-spirit, intersex, or multiple of these labels. these volunteers came from all different backgrounds, but were united in the fact that they're all a part of our college's little community.
the point of 'like a school of fish' is to highlight the beauty and joy in both diversity in solidarity. on their own, each individual becomes an art piece, covered in pictures of fish that don't quite fit into western ideals around sex and gender. just like nature, they're an art piece because of their difference, and not in spite of it. when everyone is together, though, they become like a school of fish, united by their differences and able to stand together.
this piece is bittersweet to me. everyone who volunteered had a really great time getting printed on, photographed, and especially hanging out together. when i was printing on people inside the print shop, i could hear people talking and laughing just outside - it made me really happy. the united states is not the center of the world, nor the sole place where transphobia happens - but this piece was photographed in the US, where the government has been taking huge steps to try and legislate trans people out of existence.
but, just like a school of fish, trans and queer people will always be around, and always protect one another.
