The Transgender & Gender Diverse

Affirming Gender expressions through Kids Action Heroes.

My aim was to make an installation that feels like Transgender and Gender diverse affirmative kids’ bedroom.

Based on my previous handmade and digitally made objects and figurines, this series looks at representation as an affirming and reparative approach envisioned through children’s toys. The installation was created with NEW Technologies in Digital Editing, Online Website, Generative AI, & 3D Technologies.

Colours and signifiers in the work

± Colour Pink: In the 1940’s Pink: Was the first Gender transitional colour from a boy’s colour to a girl’s colour.

± Camouflage: Invented by Fine artists created camouflage and was recruited in
Britain in the 1940’s

± X Marking: Not only is it used as a gender-neutral Marker but also is a personal marker that represents my chest scars that I developed during my honours work and now keep using it as a signature to my ongoing within my art praxis.

What’s in a name?

While researching a name, I couldn’t find a gender-neutral name for superhero, all
the names found was based on the gender binaries.

  • “SuperXero”the name for this project is a play on the honorific of MX and the gender maker
    X you can now get on your passport in Australia.
  • Part of the name “Xero” is referencing how Transgender and Gender Diverse Youth
    rights are being contested throughout Australia today. 
  • The X is personal as the design is based on my chest scars – a signifier I have kept in
    my art praxis since Honours research called Multiplicities of Pride.

Methodologies

I have two Methodologies that found all my research
projects.

“Queer” Practice-led Research

My project is framed around Queer Practice-led research, like Practice-led it provides ‘a
ground for reclaiming objectivity and agency in your own voice.

Auto-ethnography – “Lived Experiences”.

Auto-ethnography is an approach that seeks to describe and analyses personal experience to
extrapolate understandings about wider cultural experience.

In terms of creative practice, auto-ethnography can help to extrapolate artistic
experiences into a wider community. Hence reflexivity is key to developing a
critical consciousness of how I identity, experience, position, and influence
my creative practice.

Four Parts to this Story

1. Colour Me in Booklet

Inspired by the colour in booklets I use to draw in as a kid. This booklet was created as
an affirmative child’s colour me in booklet for Transgender and gender diverse
kids. Illustrated and edited from the Generative AI Images series.

Booklet is also viewable online: https://superxero.ethankristy.com/artist-booklet/

2. SuperXero Poster Wall

A series of posters designed and developed from Generative
AI (Text to Image).

TEXT INPUT: “Transgender Superhero”, “Non-binary Superhero”, “Transman Superhero”, “Non-binary
Superhero”.

Generated by iPhone app called AI Arta.

VIRTUAL UTTERANCES:  Designed further using Generative AI (Image to Image) by iPhone App called Fotor, the resolved image was uploaded and recreated with different AI Styles. As a results from numerous experiments, it started supporting Butler’s theory of “Utterances” by biasing the images toward more gendered binaries in features. This is what I like to term as “Virtual Utterances”. Referencing Butler’s first sociopolitical theory that informed their theory in Performativity.

3. Become your own SuperXero: He-man Masters of the Universe with Barbie doll sculpture.

Using Ready-made Appropriated objects with a Hand Painted 3D Scanned and 3D Printed
objects to recreate my play as a kid.


A Kids Rejection of Gender Binaries:

When I was young kid, I use to make terrain for my masters of the Universe figurines to be
at war between them and my sisters barbies.

I use steal my sister’s barbies, cut the Barbie dolls hair, pull their heads off and stick
them on twigs stuck into the ground around the war zone I made and buried the
bodies around the backyard.

Now, realise it was my way to reject the gender I was assigned at birth and the
gender roles assigned to me. I was Tom Boy to everyone, but inside I was just a
boy!

4.SuperXero Website
https://superxero.ethankristy.com/

Created to bring all the elements including 3D printed Objects accessible to the viewer as
they view the works and objects in a gallery space.

Ethics: All my works are supported with accessible online website to allow access to
everyone to view my work not just in the material space but virtual space as I
know as Trans Non-Binary person myself how scary public spaces like Galleries
can be for Transgender and Gender non-binary people can be.

Examples: He-Man, Superman, Super girl, Wonder Woman. X-Men. Barbie.

Previous Works / Projects:

References:

  • Masters of Universe: The story on vinyl.
  • Comic Book Illustration.Trans* Bronze Sculptures: South Australia.Sculpture: David.Myth & Narrative: Red Riding hood and the Wolf
  • Barbie:The Movie (2023).
  • “BLOCKED”: ABC Doco regarding Trans Kids affirming health care in Australia.

Ethical Considerations:

  • Representing the diverse multiplicities of TGD identities.

Considerations:

  • Project Time constraints.
    • Figurine Scale – Limits of 3D Printer.
    • Hand Painted: 3D Model Paint.
    • Material: PLA or ABS?
    • 3D Modelling.
    • Sound Recording / story telling of the Trans Superhero narrative. Starts
      playing, motion sensor activated/ speakers on repeat / QR Code link to
      sound recording.
    • DigitalDesign / Posters of Characters.

Artists:

Marc Quinn “Body alteration” (2008).

http://marcquinn.com/artworks/body-alteration

Further information into AI  


QUEER in AI https://www.queerinai.com/

QUEER REFLECTIONS ON AI Klipphahn-Karge, M., Koster,
A.-K., & Morais dos Santos Bruss, S. (Eds.). (2023). Queer Reflections on
AI: Uncertain Intelligences (1st ed.). Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003357957