A-R-T Weekly Newsletter: Queer Bodies, Collage, and Seeing Yourself Represented
Happy Monday! Here’s your somewhat weekly dose of A-R-T, our (somewhat) weekly newsletter. Each week we hand pick an article, a recycled project, and a thought to ponder for the week, delivered right to your inbox. We hope this will leave you feeling inspired, intrigued, and introspective.
It’s Pride Month y’all, let’s get it!
In this weeks article titled “Queer Photography Doesn't Just Have to Be White, Hunky Gays”, Photgrapher Jesse van den Berg captured intimate photos of friends and acquaintances to create a more well rounded picture of what queerness actually looks like. Humans are so beautifully and incredibly diverse, and having visual representation of people who look like you, especially in loving and non stereotypical roles, is not only meaningful, but can create a huge sense of permission and acceptance within ourselves. I highly recommend taking a look at their photography and the works of many other queer photographers and videographers who showcase queerness and queer love in a much broader and more inclusive scope.
Our recycled project this week uses photography as a main component, it’s collage!
While your collages absolutely don’t need to be a full scale art installation, this week we are inspired by Rakeem Cunningham’s work. In an excerpt from his website, “Cunningham’s collages use his vast archive of anime stills and printed excerpts to create rhythmic expressions of the human condition that simultaneously convey aspects of his own neurodivergent experiences. By drawing upon the emotionally charged lexicon visible in the expanded world of Japanese animation, Cunningham affectively simulates the qualities of obsessive-compulsive disorder through form and content. Instinctively layering facial expressions and decontextualized emotional energies in the shape of abstract forms, collage becomes a therapeutic release and a somatic healing practice—one element of Cunningham’s mental healthcare routine. With a myriad of references and strategies in tow, Cunningham charges into the potent realm of the imaginary—an inherently radical space that envisions alternative realities and better futures.”
Collage can give us the opportunity to express ourselves, and to piece together different imagery that we see elements of our own experiences through.
You will need:
Scissors or an exacto knife
Magazines, newspapers, photos, or other media
Glue or tape
Paper or a surface to collage on to
Many of us have collaged at one point or another, but for those who haven’t, all you need to do is cut out images from your source material, and glue or tape them to a sheet of paper in a creative or visually pleasing way to you. Feel free to add in other materials as well such as yarn, dried plants, polaroids, or other items you’d like to include. Have fun with it!
Our thought to ponder for the week is “Where do I see myself represented?” in either the world around you, or in the media.
I remember the first time I saw someone on a tv show using they/them pronouns was in season 3 of Sex Education (highly recommend watching the whole show if you haven’t seen it already). There was a character who was new to the school named Cal Bowman, played by Dua Saleh, who was openly non binary. It was such a beautiful and resonating moment for me to see a fictional character go through and experience many of the situations and attitudes that I had experienced in my own life.
Going off of our initial question, here are a couple more things to think about:
- What resonates with me in seeing this representation? What doesn’t? What do I wish was different about it?
- How does this representation play into, or disrupt, societally held stereotypes or beliefs about this identity?
- Where are the places or media forms around me that are lacking representation?
- If the identities that I hold ARE already largely represented, where are some places I can consume, support, and uplift representation of identities that aren’t as readily represented?
Talk to you soon,
Danni