#MYOWNGENDER

The fluidity of gender has been a major topic for me for quite some time. Three years ago, my photography and I started exploring that extensive grey zone that exists within sexes. The #MYOWNGENDER project is the final chapter of this artistic arch.

#MYOWNGENDER is a travelling 5 by 2,5-meter installation uniting photography with audio, video, and written word. A unity showcasing the nuances of gender in a time that it might matter most. The models for #myowngender, will be captured on black glass via collodion wet-plating, a photography technique from before the 1900s. This particularglass is a rarity – something that hasn’t been made for quite some time and won’t be made in the near future. But it’s the depth that it adds to animage… I just couldn’t imagine using any other canvas. For the installation, the portraits and a short interview will become an element within a circular construction. Circular, so the installation encloses every viewer or passerby with their story. They become part of it – even if it’s just for a second.

Along with the installation, all interviews and images will be featured on myowngender.com, as well as in the #myowngender book that will be published in collaboration with &C. Three of the models are also highlighted in a video portrait by Joey de Leeuw. Get a peek of his work via joeydeleeuw.com

The materials are on their way, the models have been found. After lots of preparation,the project I’ve been envisioning for a while can finally take off. I’m planning to have all the sessions with the models in September October and November 2019. As of January, the final installation shares the story of the models on locations such as De Hallen, Pakhuis de Zwijger and Pride – to be told and retold by the world. Besides those public venues, i am currently in contact with multiple museums that are interested in showcasing #myowngender.

Projects like these can’t be done by just one individual. Beside partners such as AFK, Cultuurfonds, Beamsystems and Chantal Jansen’s &C Talent Foundation, I’ve was lucky to find the perfect team to shape and share our story:

Photography: Sevilay Maria

Video: Joey de Leeuw

Installation: Edd Vossen

Text: Marlies Bax

Design: Martijn Pool

Web design: Bob Vischer