a project by the AGO Youth Council and Dan Bergeron
opening reception on September 12 2008
tours and talk 6-8 pm; party and performances 7-10 pm
AGO Gallery School
performances by drag king Flare, DJ Daniel Wilson and more
Shiftchange is the latest creative offering from the AGO Youth Council. The project explores the themes of transformation and identity through the idea that the only thing constant is change. While every individual experiences change in a way that is unique and personal, the presence of change in our lives is a common thread through all times, cultures and people. This includes the small ritualized changes made everyday as we prepare to face the world as well as changes that are drastic and life altering.
You can see pictures of the project on Collection X
Shiftchange is the latest creative offering from the AGO Youth Council. The project explores the themes of transformation and identity through the idea that the only thing constant is change. While every individual experiences change in a way that is unique and personal, the presence of change in our lives is a common thread through all times, cultures and people. This includes the small ritualized changes made everyday as we prepare to face the world as well as changes that are drastic and life altering.
Along with members of the Trans_fusion Crew from Supporting Our Youth and guest artist Dan Bergeron, the project developed into a seven image series that document transformation as they happen—shaving a beard, straightening curly hair, cinching one’s waist, binding one’s chest, transforming from a drag persona to a business persona and preparing for plastic surgery. All of the changes deal with external appearance and the need to convey a certain image to the rest of the world.
The inspiration for choosing these kinds of personal transformations was to challenge the viewer by representing varying degrees of change. In the end, all of these personal transformations are tied to notions of identity and we tried to cover as wide a range of changes as possible in the hopes that people would relate to at least some of the changes and then understand the other changes in a similar way.
Once complete the images will appear life-sized as part of a series of installations to be pasted up separately in various locations around