gaze / voice
gaze / voice is a collaborative photography and spoken-word project developed with producer Koulla Constantinou, working with transgender and non-binary participants to explore identity, visibility and lived experience.
The project began in 2022, at a time of increasingly public debate around trans identities and rights in the UK. It grew through conversations with participants and through word of mouth, with the people involved helping to shape both its direction and its content.
Each portrait is accompanied by the participant’s own voice, creating space for experiences that extend beyond the image itself. The spoken-word element allows participants to speak in their own terms about their lives, experiences, concerns and aspirations, rather than having those experiences interpreted for them.
At the centre of gaze / voice is the relationship between being seen and being heard. While Koulla and I developed the creative and production framework, the participants guided the content of the project and were integral to how it evolved.
gaze / voice also extended into Gazine, a publication featuring members of the London and Nottingham LGBTQ+ communities. The publication is now held in the British Library’s collection.
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