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 2: Explicit Queerness Made Invisible?
This installation, a video portrait of a lesbian rancher named Keely Moll, explores “her confidence and life through her perspective, [and] this work shifts the Western gender paradigm of a man in the landscape by restituting female imagery.” Wyngaarden’s work in a broader sense explores cross-dressing, lived experience, queer representation, and forgotten histories. Although the work centres a lesbian subject, this is not reflected in the metadata at large. The short description identifies Moll only as a rancher, while her sexuality is only made evident in a longer version. The work, moreover, currently lacks coding for keywords, subjects and genre. The focus of this example is thus on the absence of queer identifiers despite the work having explicit queer content.
Discussion Prompts:
What language best describes lesbian or sapphic related works? Would the keyword homosexuality/gaiety apply here or is another terminology necessary? What strategies ensure lesbian and female-centred work don’t disappear under broader or male centred terms? 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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