PROJECT
Solo Art Exhibition
STATUS
Production
FUNDRAISING GOAL
$10,000
Non-Binary Code
I am currently in production for my first Los Angeles based solo show at Studio 203. This art exhibition, titled “Non-Binary Code,” is an exploration of gender identity, textile-based practices, and coded meaning. The exhibition will consist of several large scale knitted wall-hangings, along with an interactive installation. To make this work, playing with the binary nature of the knit/purl stitchwork inherent to knitting, I translated the word “nonbinary” into binary code. I then knit this label of my gender identity into textile wall hangings and an interactive lounge area, both imbuing and obscuring meaning of the word “non-binary”, much in the way binaries of gender, and the desire to transcend these binaries, are coded into the concept of non-binary identity. The textile lounge installation invites viewers to come rest, mingle, or meditate on hidden meanings of gender expression and identity that we often take for granted. The choice of medium—acrylic (yarn) on canvas—brings the work in dialogue with the history of white paintings in minimalist abstraction. The use of binary code also has an especially poignant connection to the history of textile production, when the jacquard loom and punch card knitting were both used to develop the first computer languages. I see this work as a queering of many supposedly binary hierarchies, complicating and challenging distinctions of art & craft, digital & handmade, male & female. It’s social impact functions in several ways: to make non-binary and gender-nonconforming people feel seen, to educate cis folks on gender beyond the binary, and to facilitate conversation about these ideas amongst the viewers.
To make a donation in support of Non-Binary Code make out a check payable to: SIMA STUDIOS and mail to 551 Norwich Drive, West Hollywood, CA 90048. SIMA’s Tax ID is 46-2836025. Be sure to write “Non-Binary Code” on the notes/memo line of the check. If you would prefer to make a wire transfer, please reach out to project@simastudios.org.
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