Devenir : An Interface of gender Fluctuation

Devenir is an interactive interface that allows the user to experience a gender fluctuation of their own face and voice by looking at an interactive mirror while watching interviews with transsexuals. The project aims to reflect on the gender division, the social and political construction of the body and the flow of biological identity. What we imagine as biological and binary division between man and woman, male and female is a social construction: experiencing the interface could be a way to disable it. I have resolved to do a project that goes directly to meet transgenders after studying the Spanish literary work of Beatriz Preciado, essential figure of the Queer Theory. I am interested on the feminist challenge formulated by early theoreticians of the Queer Theories in the '90s, analyzing the socially constructed nature of sexualities and identities as a key knowledge to understand gender in the 21st Century. The installation offers a dualistic operation by confronting the audience with an interactive experience while featuring real stories based on a research of individual cases. "We are all post operative loose bodies that transsexualize us. We're more or less operated by very specific social technologies." (Marie-Hélène Bourcier) "Sexuality is like languages. We can all learn more." (Beatriz Preciado)

Devenir Interviews is presenting real gender transition histories by trans living in Paris. The video was done during the time I was doing an Art in Residence in Paris at Cite des Arts. The videos were recorded in my studio on October and November of 2012. It is part of the Installation Devenir (http://anaisafranco.com/devenir.html) By studying the Spanish literary work of Beatriz Preciado, writer of the Queer Theory, I have considered doing a project that goes directly to experience and meeting transgenders. In the 90 Queer theories emerged from the fields of studies covering GLBT and feminist studies. Strongly influenced by the work of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Judith Butler, and Lauren Berlant. Queer theory is based on feminist challenges to the idea that gender is part of being essential, and after an analysis of the studies about the socially constructed nature of sexual acts and identities. Devenir is an interactive interface that provides the user to experience a gender fluctuation of their own face and voice by looking to an interactive mirror while watching real gender transition histories. The project aims to reflect on the gender division, the social and political construction of the body, the flow of biological identity. What we imagine as biological and binary division between man and woman, male and female is a social construction: experiencing the application could be a way to disable it. Devenir aims to look at sexuality as a fiction, a ghost in which one can install and live comfortably, as a performance of identity flows. The person looking at the application will have the experience of plasticity and flow identity, sexual identity undergoing plasticity. Creating tension between the transition from comic male and female signs through the voice and gestures. “We are all post operative loose bodies for transsexualize us. We’re more or less operated by very specific social technologies.“ (Marie-Hélène Bourcier) “Sexuality is like languages. We can all learn more.“ (Beatriz Preciado)

By studying the Spanish literary work of Beatriz Preciado, writer of the Queer Theory, I have considered doing a project that goes directly to experience and meeting transgenders. In the 90 Queer theories emerged from the fields of studies covering GLBT and feminist studies. Strongly influenced by the work of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Judith Butler, and Lauren Berlant. Queer theory is based on feminist challenges to the idea that gender is part of being essential, and after an analysis of the studies about the socially constructed nature of sexual acts and identities. Devenir is an interactive interface that provides the user to experience a gender fluctuation of their own face and voice by looking to an interactive mirror while watching real gender transition histories. The project aims to reflect on the gender division, the social and political construction of the body, the flow of biological identity. What we imagine as biological and binary division between man and woman, male and female is a social construction: experiencing the application could be a way to disable it. Devenir aims to look at sexuality as a fiction, a ghost in which one can install and live comfortably, as a performance of identity flows. The person looking at the application will have the experience of plasticity and flow identity, sexual identity undergoing plasticity. Creating tension between the transition from comic male and female signs through the voice and gestures. “We are all post operative loose bodies for transsexualize us. We’re more or less operated by very specific social technologies.“ (Marie-Hélène Bourcier) “Sexuality is like languages. We can all learn more.“ (Beatriz Preciado)