This entry is part of the pilot project Do It Yourself! Queering the Archive. For more information and general questions about the project, I refer you to the introduction page.
Case 1: Historical Terminology
In this performance film, Ulay presents himself as his “hybrid-genderd alter ego” Renais Sense. He explores “the idea of a unification between male and female, symbolically becoming a hermaphrodite.” The work was inspired by the trans and gender nonconforming communities Ulay engaged with during the 1970s and reflects on the fluidity of identity and embodiment. As seen on mediakunst.net, the current description of this film uses terms such as “transvestite” and “transsexual”. This raises questions about how to handle historical terminology in archival contexts. Furthermore, the work is currently not coded with any keywords, subjects, or genre codes.
Discussion Prompts:
How can metadata reflect the fluidity of queerness and gender? How do we preserve the language of the time without reproducing harm or erasing history? How do we deal with dated descriptions? Should historical terms be retained with contextual notes, replaced with contemporary ones, or left as they are? How do we describe a work as “queer” when the artist does not explicitly claim that identity? What keywords (1-3 words) would you use to describe this work?
For any comments, questions or concerns that you would rather discuss privately, you can reach me at clairevandenbroek@li-ma.nl
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