TIMELINE:
[JAN — JUL 2022]
TEAM:
co-designed and co-taught with Hua Chai (syllabus + pedagogy + running of workshop designed entirely collaboratively)
METHODS:
teaching (including selecting [sections of] readings and writing technical tool guides); participatory design; collage-making; sharing the knowledge and joy of free, open-source digital tools; learning alongside teaching
THEMES:
technology as a means of elevating and (re)imagining gender euphoria; constructing one’s gender identity as a form of worldbuilding; encouraging experimentation when teaching artmaking from the start instead of building a solid technical “foundation” first; understanding theory through artmaking practice; collapsing digital 2/3D boundaries
A one-day workshop teaching free, open-source design tools (Blender, Electric Zine Maker) to participants with a non-design background, co-taught with Los Angeles-based trans Malaysian artist Hua Chai. Participants all identified as queer Southeast Asians, and were mostly trans or gender-nonconforming individuals. We taught participants how to create 2D and 3D collages as a form of digital drag — hopefully inspiring alternative digital gender euphorias. Teaching (including developing pedagogy) was done entirely collaboratively with Hua.
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Initially, I planned to facilitate participants making a 2D collage of media that informs their gender.
Following this, my co-designer, Hua Chai, and I wanted to make 3D planet interpretations of participant-designed 2D collages, before using the 3D planet textures to make new 2D collages. We then planned to display the planets and collages alongside participants’ original work on a living archival website.
From my initial exploration of this concept:
The cyclical process of turning a collage into a 3D model, and the 3D model into a collage mirrors the ritual of dressing in and out of drag. This is a commentary on the collapse of self and others in identity construction — a person will always be informed and in turn inform. Through this, we embrace the glitches that are non-conforming genders.
We also want to collapse the false boundary between 2/3D in the digital space — designing 3D models on tools such as Blender is still seeing something supposedly “3D” within a 2D space. This is a metaphor for the fluidity of identity construction, particularly gender identity construction, in the digital sphere, where the shape of one’s identity is highly dependent on perception.
My original 2D collage using media that informed my gender then (made on Electric Zine Maker.)
![[2D → 3D] My 3D planet interpretation of the collage on the left (made on Blender.)](https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/61027bab2ec480860083a3e8/62721b423734d004cb2a40b7_planet.jpg)
[2D → 3D] My 3D planet interpretation of the collage on the left (made on Blender.)
![[2D → 3D → 2D] Using still images taken of the 3D planet model as source image textures, I created a 2D collage on Electric Zine Maker.](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/35654a23-994e-4575-afd8-7d48c82d2cf4/myPanel.png)
[2D → 3D → 2D] Using still images taken of the 3D planet model as source image textures, I created a 2D collage on Electric Zine Maker.
![[2D → 3D → 2D] Another 2D collage using still images taken of the 3D planet model as source image textures made on Electric Zine Maker.](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/132bc84e-c2dc-4c7b-9e8a-d9c8b86e06a3/myPanel_2.png)
[2D → 3D → 2D] Another 2D collage using still images taken of the 3D planet model as source image textures made on Electric Zine Maker.
![[2D → 3D → 2D] Another 2D collage using still images taken of the 3D planet model as source image textures made on Electric Zine Maker.](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/a81dc44f-cf4c-47aa-9765-17615e577713/FRONT.png)
[2D → 3D → 2D] Another 2D collage using still images taken of the 3D planet model as source image textures made on Electric Zine Maker.
![[(2D → 3D → 2D)^3] Final decollage of this round of visual experimentation — using the three 2D collages made from the 3D models as source images, I made a new 2D collage.](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/8af6564d-c620-4e09-9b0f-0764322e6f04/myPanel_3.png)
[(2D → 3D → 2D)^3] Final decollage of this round of visual experimentation — using the three 2D collages made from the 3D models as source images, I made a new 2D collage.
Because this workshop was meant to be held for participants with a variety of design backgrounds, we had to cater to people who might not be familiar with design tools. Digital design tools were preferred to physical collaging tools, as this workshop would be held online, and it would be easier to ensure everyone had similar resources. I researched free design tools (a common barrier to entry for design is the high cost of design tools such as the Adobe Creative Cloud) and tried out making collages of my gender on them.
After trying various tools, I found that I enjoyed using Electric Zine Maker [which I found by chance] the most. Making the software felt like playing a game, mirroring the fluid, freewheeling concept of our workshop — Electric Zine Maker is also made by non-binary artist Nathalie Lawhead.