The Brighton Trans*formed Exhibition trail tells the stories of 23 Brightonian trans, gender queer and intersex people through photography, audio and object installations.
The multi-media, multi-venue trail, runs in the city from July 24 – August 4 and reflects the diversity of lives in our diverse seaside city and is designed to be high impact and highly visible.
The streets of Brighton will be lined with faces of participants from the project in the largest, real-life, trans documentation project to be seen in the UK.
Jubilee Library, July 24 – Aug 4 – Take a seat on Brighton beach deckchairs and immerse yourself in Trans* formed’s recorded stories whilst looking at a large scale photographic display of the participants at their favourite locations around Brighton – all framed in rescued wood from the West pier.
Unitarian Church, Saturday Evening, July 26 – The Unitarian Church in the centre of Brighton will be lit up as the supersized images of trans people are projected onto the the neo-classical building with quotes about the experiences of being trans in Brighton. A massively-scaled display of Trans people’s pride that will physically light up your faces and make our communities visible to the whole town.
St James St Trans Pride Parade, July 25 – July 27 – March up St James Street to Trans Pride in New Steine Gardens, past dozens of shop windows displaying life sized portraits from the project. Reclaiming St James Street as a queer space, this street-lined story is symbolic of us being out and proud ambassadors for our communities, determined to fight transphobia and media misrepresentation through visibility.
Poke Your Face Through the Pier Holes, July 25 – July 27 – Will you poke your face through the body of the muscle man or the lady in her polka dot swimsuit? Or will you be half muscly, half polka-dotted, mix gendered? Mix and match outfits and body parts in a trans take on an old seaside favourite, and have your photo taken to remember how we can actively Trans*form Brighton into a friendly city that is supportive and inclusive of its trans communities!
Gilded Cage Tattoo Studio, St James’ Street, July 25 – July 27 – Enter this avant-garde, LGBTQI tattoo studio to be immersed not only in the store’s taxidermy- but your own! An adult-only, graphic display of actual body parts in formaldehyde, kept after gender reassignment surgery. Displayed alongside photographs and genuine surgical artefacts in a hospital scene recreation emphasising the graphic realities of physical change and the need for ongoing access to treatment on the NHS.
The Marlborough Pub, July 25 – Aug 4– See photographs of everyone taking part in Brighton Trans*formed in this trans-supportive pub, alongside a collection of participant’s favourite things that reflects their trans journeys through their attachments to material things. From boobs and binders to baseball caps and teddy bears, this touching display is a gentle reminder of just how ordinary we can all be.
E-J Scott, the Curator, of Brighton Trans*formed, said: “It is time for our communities to stand up proud and be counted, so that we can deconstruct the media’s spectacularization of our lives and our bodies that reinforces old-fashioned, out of date myths and malarkey about who trans people really are. This exhibition showcases the bravery of individuals who want to live in a Brighton free of transphobia and violence. By seeing our faces and hearing our stories we share the reality of our world- we are simply people who love, cry and live our lives like everybody else- and want to be respected for it.”
The Brighton Trans*formed project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and run by QueenSpark Books, the country’s oldest community publisher.
The Brighton Trans*formed book will be published in September 2014.
For more information about the Trans*formed project, CLICK HERE: