the fluidity of expression, experimentation, growth & reinvention contribute to our ever changing reflection of identity. many individuals in the lgbtqia+ community use their hair as a way to express themselves & their identity. the appeal of instant reinvention satisfies cravings of change, identity affirmation, & confidence. as a white latinx queer individual, i honor how hair is intimately tied to family, culture, politics, & many other aspects of someone other than their lgbtqia+ identity. i want my collaborators to take agency of their intersectional identities in the photographs we make together.
before photographing with them, i ask them to answer a series of open-ended questions & talk about them together along with other aspects of our lives. we share experiences & develop trust & comfort with each other to produce images that are authentic to their experiences. with subtle connections to each other through spirituality, nature, colors & directive gaze, each person has unknowingly bonded with each other. after connecting with the people in this project for multiple months, they gave me a part of their hair & in return, i created a piece of jewelry with their hair for them to keep as we continue to work together in the future. through collaboration with five people in the younger generation of the lgbtqia+ community, the work empowers their freedom of expression through their hair. thank you saren, flo, jen, izzy, & sophia for trusting me with such a vulnerable part of your identities.
i ask that only people in the lgbtqia+ community use the word "queer" when referring to the people in my images & the lgbtqia+ community.
