The Chapel of Becoming
The Chapel of Becoming is a video installation and transcendental space dedicated to and in celebration of the Transgender community. This is a follow-up to my 2021 installation PLAY†PREY and a continuation of my practice in the subversion of religiosity by queering Abrahamic traditions. The Chapel resists spiritual practices centered on cis-gendered and able-bodied exceptionalism. The architectural design is aligned with the traditional place of worship as a physical space and gathering point, its angled slatwall panels meet with the leaning arches to form an upside-down triangle.
Within the chapel is an emblem inspired by the hybrid symbols rooted in queer and trans literature. The symbol at the back of the chapel, resembling a combination of the crucifix and plus sign, is taken directly from the original typeface design by Joel Gregory in We Both Laughed In Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan edited by Zach Ozma and Ellis Martin. The inclusion of this symbol highlights the way trans people manifest hybridity through written characters and it is repurposed here to drive hybridity as a spiritual and embodied concept.
The vinyl text on the glass wall “Come to Be” is a rearrangement of the word and philosophy “Becoming”. Becoming is a theoretic anchor in Trans Futurity and speaks to Jose Munoz’s call for collective political becoming. “Come to be” is an invitation to viewers outside to enter The Chapel and a reminder to the Trans community that becoming signifies endless possibilities in defining gender. The rearrangement of this ideology reflects the spirit of Transness and the power of rearranging gender identity and language in a movement toward our embodied selves.
