An article contributed by Alyssa

An exhibition that fuses audio, photography, discussion and a chance to liaise with European activists is being launched in Dublin, in just a week. Mark it in your diaries: Saturday, April 24^th sees the opening night of Serious Game, an audio-visual installation of European Trans experience, in the Monster Truck Gallery, Francis Street. The exhibition will be hosted and travel to in five other countries across Europe over the coming months, with the Irish section in association with Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI).

The artists, Anja Weber and Sabine Ercklentz, designed the exhibit to raise awareness among the general public and LGBT community of Trans people in Europe, their diverse backgrounds and cultures. The exhibition includes photography along with an audio of trans-identified voices, recounting personal experiences.  Excerpts from the audio hit on key emotions felt by the Trans community.

The binary system is the problem, nature in itself is diverse.

I think performing gender is a game but it can get very serious.

Now, some of you may be wondering why this concerns the lesbian and bisexual women of Ireland. Well, firstly it’s called the LGBT community, right? Allies are important for any movement, and you might be surprised by how many experiences are shared between LGB and T people. Secondly, regardless of how you identify, this is an exciting cultural event that should be experienced by all who are interested!

This is a fascinating exhibition documenting Trans experiences, but imagined and composed by two wonderful women, Weber and Ercklentz. Although they have been partners in life for more than a decade, the two only started collaborating artistically in 2007. Serious Game is the second piece they have created together.

Conceptually, the exhibition plays on an everyday occurrences. When we see a new person, we look for familiar features, body shape and vocal cues to assign a gender. According to Weber:

The photographs are close-up headshots, in which the naked shoulders refer to the body of the portrayed subject without disclosing it.

With some of the pieces missing, the mind is puzzled. During the interviews, the subjects speak of their personal lives, their self-representation, transgenderism and identity.

However, the set-up of the exhibition intentionally disconnects the sound from the images, so there is no coherency between the photographs and sound. Another disconnection; another piece of information missing that allows us, as humans, to identify a person’s gender. In this way the featured subjects remain, at all times, individuals.

This is not a passive exhibition, intentionally drawing on our desire for certainty. It is thought provoking; created in such a way that viewers might feel inspired to continue discussing questions raised, long after leaving the studio.

Why must we assign a gender to strangers? What is gender, and how is it defined? Why do we feel it is so important to confer “binary” male/female pronouns on everyone we meet? Why are we not content with seeing them as individuals, people, activists, and friends?

The exhibition sets the stage for the …And Others! project; a collaboration of European transgender organisations, with the aim of developing a “best practice” policy for the pursuit of trans-equality, rights and inclusion throughout Europe. This collaboration is a wonderful tool for the exchange of knowledge, ideas, insights, perspective; as well as a forum to discuss success stories, legislation in different countries and the improvements that could be made, engaging with the public, and passing on this knowledge and enthusiasm to the wider community.

During the launch weekend, TENI will be welcoming representatives from each of the hosting countries for an international project meeting of European transgender equality organisations. With so many representatives all in the one place, what better way to make them welcome than to host a panel! So, starting at 10am on Saturday 24^th April (the morning of the launch), the weekend will be kick started with:

Engaging with European Trans Activists - a panel discussion on issues of concern for Trans people. The venue is The Dublin Exchange, Temple Bar (near the Back Lounge, on Upper Exchequer Street).

Topics include media representation; employment rights; healthcare; hate crime legislation; gender recognition and family/relationship recognition and obtaining EU funding. The main aim of the panel is to educate, inspire and empower attendees.

It is open to the general public, and is especially relevant to and welcoming of the LGBT community. The activists will present work on good practice, and it gives an opportunity for them to not only share this with the public, but hear critique, answer questions and get some feedback!

The theme TENI, and thus Irish activists, are focusing on is gender recognition and, an important one for the LGBT community at large, family and relationship recognition. For those passionate about recognition for the LGB community, we hope to see you there. Support is always encouraged, but more than that, we should be a united front.

We all want the same things – to do away with discrimination, fight for our human rights to marry those we love, to adopt, to have equal benefits, opportunities, healthcare, not to be prejudiced against based on our sexuality or gender. TENI are in collaboration with Trans organisations from across Europe for a reason – it means more information, collaboration, and different perspectives from across the continent. Together we are always stronger, in knowledge and in numbers. So whatever your sexuality, gender, sex, race, ethnicity, background; if you have the time, head along and enjoy the experience!

Serious Game:
Exhibition launch and wine reception:  Saturday 24^th April, at 6pm.
Venue: Monster Truck Gallery, 73 Francis Street.

Engaging with European Trans activists
Panel discussion: Saturday 24^th April, from 10am–1pm, with a film screening from 2pm-4pm.
Venue: The Dublin Exchange, Temple Bar

For more information or to show your support, join the facebook group Serious Game

or email questions to andothers.ireland@gmail.com.

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