Artist Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley was in residence at Studio Voltaire from October 2022 until October 2023, supported by Meta Open Arts, which will culminate in a major exhibition and public programme.
Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley works predominantly in animation, sound, performance and video games to communicate the experiences of being a Black Trans person. Her practice focuses on intertwining lived experience with fiction to imaginatively retell Trans stories and build an ongoing archive of erased Trans lives for the past, present and future.
From October 2022, the residency supported by Meta Open Arts, equipped the artist with financial support, a bespoke professional development programme, budget to cover production, research travel and materials, and rent-free studio space. During her residency, Brathwaite-Shirley designed and prdouced a new interactive video game that was shared through guided play sessions and live performances. The residency culminated in a solo exhibition at Studio Voltaire in January 2024.
The expansive thematics of Brathwaite-Shirley’s practice include digital real-estate, archiving and the exclusion and subjugation of Black and Brown Trans bodies in digital space. Technology is at the forefront of her practice, and the residency will provide time to further study the history of gaming, its role as an art form and educational tool, and the innovative use of VR space as a site for debate and critical discussion.
The physical and digital spaces produced will evolve to be used for workshops, panel discussions, talks, screenings and community gatherings, including Trans hangouts and hormone chats. After the exhibition, the project will be handed back to the Trans community to use as a communal space for gathering, hosting events, socialising and knowledge exchange. This way, it will serve as a community hub, offering vital digital real-estate back to the community to use as it wishes.
