Queer Spaces (Where We are Not Known)
WHERE WE ARE NOT KNOWN
I started photographing queer spaces as a way to look at identity in the landscape. As I started looking for Gay Bars to photograph on a trip to West Virginia I realized many of the bars and clubs had been closed down. In my intense search (2,200 miles in 4 days) I started projecting queerness into the stores, street signs, grocery stores I was driving past. In areas where overt queerness is hidden (no rainbow flags on the gay bars) I noticed pool halls called “Butches” and supermarkets called “Big Bear”.
Photographing all over the United States and parts of Europe has expanded the project. I have begun to look at the histories (real or created) I project onto the places I photograph. By using my camera I am able to recontextualize the spaces I photograph.