What are you? Queer?! Data Visualization of Contemporary Queer Political and Social Issues through the medium of Textile Art

Abstract

This paper and the accompanying exhibition focus on textile art designed and created around truths in the world that threaten our prosperity as queer people. Having had a lifelong interest in politics, a bachelor’s degree in its study, and a propensity towards activism, the central theme of the work and the advocacy it intends are personally important to me as a queer person. The work began from my distress at watching our trans siblings in the community come under unfounded and heavy attack in recent years, and an interest in creating a body of work around these issues lead to further research and study of statistical data around queer political issues of the present day. The body of work supported by this paper and presented in the exhibition What are you? QUEER?! were all designed and created using data and numerical sets found in the research to include the representation of the issues within the materials and basic construction of each piece.