In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to exclude trans women from the definition of “woman”, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley created TRANS & CONDITIONS with CIRCA, a collaborative archive of trans voices that sits at the intersection of art and activism. What started as a series of posters for a protest fast evolved into a digital platform, offering trans people the opportunity to ‘act in safety’ and document their lived experiences. Now, in collaboration with UNCLE and CIRCA, these testimonies are taking over London as a flyposter campaign.
For Danielle, the audience is her medium. Her art is designed to sparks a reaction or, better yet, an action. In contrast to the cultural tendency to aestheticise and sanitise, she calls for ‘art that isn’t pretty, isn’t kind to the audience, and that is hard to sit through,’ provoking discomfort in order to inspire necessary change.
At its essence, her practice refuses erasure: ‘I archive black and trans existence’ Danielle tells UNCLE. In these hostile times, she warns that ‘the loss of [trans] rights is a trail of the removal of the rights of others.’ Her work exemplifies how, in the face of increasing censorship, we must continue to speak up: ‘It’s time to take all the risks, to mess up and not get it right because there may be a time where that chance no longer exists.’
What is abundantly clear from her work and from our interview: the urgent need to do more and to act now.
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08.25 Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley and CIRCA won’t let trans voices be silenced
As rights are rolled back, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley’s art archives, amplifies, and protests for trans lives
FIRST OFF, CAN YOU TELL US WHO YOU ARE IN YOUR OWN WORDS?
I am a reactionary artist. I take in what’s happening around me at the time and create work that allows the audience to take action or react in some way. I’ve said it often, but it’s worth saying again, the audience is the medium I work with and my aim is to give them choices which could stay with them.
COULD YOU SHARE HOW THE IDEA FOR TRANS AND CONDITIONS FIRST CAME TO YOU AND HOW YOU BROUGHT IT TO LIFE?
The idea first came actually after the UK’s ruling that excluded trans women from being categorised as women. It started as a series of posters made for the protest against this ruling and then began to morph into a wider piece when we wanted to give people a platform to discuss exactly how they felt. We needed a way to react, a place to come together, a way in which our voices were not just a footnote.
THE WORK FEELS LIKE A BOLD ACT OF DEFIANCE AGAINST THE ERASURE OF TRANS LIVES AND VOICES. HOW CENTRAL ARE THE CONCEPTS OF PRESENCE, VISIBILITY AND SPEAKING OUT TO YOUR PRACTICE AS AN ARTIST?
I would say my work is about giving people a choice. Through that process often we are speaking to people whose choices are limited. Their thoughts, feelings and words form the foundation of the work we made. Archiving voices that are often ignored means nothing if it’s just used as content. So the voices we archive become the foundation for larger choices within the work.
MUCH OF YOUR WORK CENTRES UPON BLACK AND TRANS EXPERIENCE. HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR ENERGIES AS BOTH AN ARTIST, ACTIVIST AND BLACK TRANS WOMAN WORKING IN THESE TURBULENT TIMES?
That is and is not a correct statement. My community is black and trans. My family is black and trans. They form the foundation. It centres their voices through the way they think, references and aesthetics. But often it’s the focus on the words “black” and “trans” that is used as a sounding board for tokenism and othering. I archive black and trans existence. But the experience you have through the work will archive who you are and where you find yourself standing. The choices you made or did not make will be your reflection in this instance.
My foundation is black and trans so naturally all those references go in but the work is all about commenting on the current state of the world.
Your experience will be your own. You will learn primarily about yourself, how you think, how you feel, where your effort goes.
I am a reactionary artist. I take in what’s happening around me at the time and create work that allows the audience to take action or react in some way. I’ve said it often, but it’s worth saying again, the audience is the medium I work with and my aim is to give them choices which could stay with them.
COULD YOU SHARE HOW THE IDEA FOR TRANS AND CONDITIONS FIRST CAME TO YOU AND HOW YOU BROUGHT IT TO LIFE?
The idea first came actually after the UK’s ruling that excluded trans women from being categorised as women. It started as a series of posters made for the protest against this ruling and then began to morph into a wider piece when we wanted to give people a platform to discuss exactly how they felt. We needed a way to react, a place to come together, a way in which our voices were not just a footnote.
THE WORK FEELS LIKE A BOLD ACT OF DEFIANCE AGAINST THE ERASURE OF TRANS LIVES AND VOICES. HOW CENTRAL ARE THE CONCEPTS OF PRESENCE, VISIBILITY AND SPEAKING OUT TO YOUR PRACTICE AS AN ARTIST?
I would say my work is about giving people a choice. Through that process often we are speaking to people whose choices are limited. Their thoughts, feelings and words form the foundation of the work we made. Archiving voices that are often ignored means nothing if it’s just used as content. So the voices we archive become the foundation for larger choices within the work.
MUCH OF YOUR WORK CENTRES UPON BLACK AND TRANS EXPERIENCE. HOW DO YOU PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR ENERGIES AS BOTH AN ARTIST, ACTIVIST AND BLACK TRANS WOMAN WORKING IN THESE TURBULENT TIMES?
That is and is not a correct statement. My community is black and trans. My family is black and trans. They form the foundation. It centres their voices through the way they think, references and aesthetics. But often it’s the focus on the words “black” and “trans” that is used as a sounding board for tokenism and othering. I archive black and trans existence. But the experience you have through the work will archive who you are and where you find yourself standing. The choices you made or did not make will be your reflection in this instance.
My foundation is black and trans so naturally all those references go in but the work is all about commenting on the current state of the world.
Your experience will be your own. You will learn primarily about yourself, how you think, how you feel, where your effort goes.
WE’RE SEEING INCREASING ATTEMPTS AT CENSORSHIP IN THE UK AND GERMANY TOO. IN YOUR OPINION, HOW CAN ARTISTS PUSH BACK AGAINST THIS AND WHAT ROLE DOES ART PLAY IN PROTECTING FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?
Art can play both roles in censorship and freedom. It’s not fair to only see it as something that protects freedom. It can be used for both aspects. This is why when we see a rise in censorship we see a rise in the presentations of certain kinds of art and the fall in others. Each artist and piece has its role to play.
When you are showing as an artist, your role is not only defined by what you show but whose place you took. Whose voice you amplified and what subjects you broached.
I think artists should do their own thing but I would love to see art that isn’t pretty, isn’t kind to the audience, and that is hard to sit through. That makes us stand in front of ourselves and face what choice we have made to get there.
We shouldn’t stop taking the risks in the work because of new laws. It’s time to take all the risks, to mess up and not get it right because there may be a time where that chance no longer exists.
Lastly I also think collaboration and doing things for other causes is a great way to get involved with a movement rather than to just stay within an art practice. All this I am also telling myself.
ON TOP OF THIS, YOUR WORK INVITES THE PUBLIC TO GET INVOLVED. WHY IS IMMERSION AND PARTICIPATION IMPORTANT TO YOUR PRACTICE?
Because we have to act now…if we don’t we won’t be able to. I want to offer chances to act in safety. An arena to practice. A method to ease that transition from reacting in safety to standing up for a cause you care about.
I AM INTERESTED IN THE ROLE THAT THE CITY (IN THIS CASE, LONDON) PLAYS IN TRANS AND CONDITIONS AS WELL AS IN YOUR WIDER WORK. HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT TO RECLAIM SPACE IN THE CITY? WHAT HAS THE REACTION BEEN FROM THE PUBLIC?
I don’t have a reaction. I need to do more. Hopefully I can. We don’t collect data on the public so it’s hard for me to say. All I can say is I am thankful for all those who wrote letters and hope to provide better ways in which we can do this again in the future.
DESPITE MOUNTING HOSTILITY IN SOCIETY, THIS YEAR’S LONDON TRANS PRIDE PARADE WAS THE LARGEST EVER, A POWERFUL SHOW OF SOLIDARITY. DO YOU BELIEVE LONDON CAN BE A PLACE OF RESISTANCE AND COMMUNITY? HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO BERLIN?
Trans rights shouldn’t be confined to a single place or court case. Trans people are human and deserve protections. We don’t have that anymore. And we are losing more and more of these.
I don’t want to lose any more trans people than we already have. London is a place of resistance, and that resistance has now been met with fierce crackdowns and censorship by both the labour and conservative government. It’s not just about trans rights. The loss of our rights is a trail of the removal of the rights of others.
Art can play both roles in censorship and freedom. It’s not fair to only see it as something that protects freedom. It can be used for both aspects. This is why when we see a rise in censorship we see a rise in the presentations of certain kinds of art and the fall in others. Each artist and piece has its role to play.
When you are showing as an artist, your role is not only defined by what you show but whose place you took. Whose voice you amplified and what subjects you broached.
I think artists should do their own thing but I would love to see art that isn’t pretty, isn’t kind to the audience, and that is hard to sit through. That makes us stand in front of ourselves and face what choice we have made to get there.
We shouldn’t stop taking the risks in the work because of new laws. It’s time to take all the risks, to mess up and not get it right because there may be a time where that chance no longer exists.
Lastly I also think collaboration and doing things for other causes is a great way to get involved with a movement rather than to just stay within an art practice. All this I am also telling myself.
ON TOP OF THIS, YOUR WORK INVITES THE PUBLIC TO GET INVOLVED. WHY IS IMMERSION AND PARTICIPATION IMPORTANT TO YOUR PRACTICE?
Because we have to act now…if we don’t we won’t be able to. I want to offer chances to act in safety. An arena to practice. A method to ease that transition from reacting in safety to standing up for a cause you care about.
I AM INTERESTED IN THE ROLE THAT THE CITY (IN THIS CASE, LONDON) PLAYS IN TRANS AND CONDITIONS AS WELL AS IN YOUR WIDER WORK. HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT TO RECLAIM SPACE IN THE CITY? WHAT HAS THE REACTION BEEN FROM THE PUBLIC?
I don’t have a reaction. I need to do more. Hopefully I can. We don’t collect data on the public so it’s hard for me to say. All I can say is I am thankful for all those who wrote letters and hope to provide better ways in which we can do this again in the future.
DESPITE MOUNTING HOSTILITY IN SOCIETY, THIS YEAR’S LONDON TRANS PRIDE PARADE WAS THE LARGEST EVER, A POWERFUL SHOW OF SOLIDARITY. DO YOU BELIEVE LONDON CAN BE A PLACE OF RESISTANCE AND COMMUNITY? HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO BERLIN?
Trans rights shouldn’t be confined to a single place or court case. Trans people are human and deserve protections. We don’t have that anymore. And we are losing more and more of these.
I don’t want to lose any more trans people than we already have. London is a place of resistance, and that resistance has now been met with fierce crackdowns and censorship by both the labour and conservative government. It’s not just about trans rights. The loss of our rights is a trail of the removal of the rights of others.
