Out of Frame

As the two paintings in my film—Poet and Astronomer—dare to move out of their assigned positions in their frames on the wall, they upend the system established, policed, and controlled by the art gallery's curator. Refusing to remain as surveilled images who exist only for the gaze of others, they assert gazes of their own—seeing each other and staring back at their observer in defiance. This transgression, however, has consequences and plunges them both into darkness. Failing to conform to the expectations of their oppressor, the pair of queer heroes are erased and outcast—but in the darkness, they find one another. An inner and outer transformation unfolds when they unite in a new space of their own creation, in love and solidarity.

The work of constructing a better world begins with the realization that the world can be otherwise. The unique, unconventional hybrid aesthetic of this film—which emphasizes the artificial and shifting nature of the constructed worlds around us— was achieved with a small budget, small crew, and a lot of love. Without dialogue, relying on nonverbal performances, hand-drawn animation, and original music, I hope to offer a contemporary parable about coming together beyond the limitations of boxes and borders, embracing queer self-invention, and imagining new possibilities into existence.