gender

People Like Us - The Photobook - Kickstarter Campaign

It’s 3 weeks since we launched our Kickstarter Campaign at The Common Press, to produce our upcoming photobook. The launch event was lovely, we shared more images from the project, adding to the installation we put up 18 months ago, set up a series of talking pictures in the children’s snug for people to listen to on headphones (more on these early experiments with audio soon) and I did a talk about the project, accompanied on the sofa by participants Sabah Choudrey and Jen Smethurst for an informal conversation and qu and a with the audience.

I tried to share this video of the installation on Instagram and they removed it within seconds accusing me of sexualised content and nudity! Not the first post to be removed which has made me feel horrible like I’m doing something bad and more to the point is a worrying indication of the current climate of hostility towards and censorship of gender non-conforming bodies.

This is another image which was removed from Instagram, it took them a week or so before deciding this was too explicit however.

To me this is a really playful pairing of images and in the book they will be placed on consecutive pages, folding over from one page to the next - push / pull, out / in, soft / hard. The first image was innocently made in-between shots when the participant, Azara was warming their hands in their pants, I’ve always seen it as playful and quite sweet. The second image shows Chiyo binding to flatten their chest, ok it is one of the harsher images in the book, which will be layered with various aspects of trans experience, but I think Instagram is reading it as bondage which it is not at all!!

Doing a Kickstarter Campaign has its ups and downs and to be honest after having such an easy ride with my first one for the David Hoyle book back in 2017 which reached it’s target in 2 weeks, I wasn’t prepared for how exposing I would find this one. However despite it being slow and not having a clue if we will reach our target, overall I am still finding it to be a positive and useful thing to do.

I chose to use Kickstarter to raise awareness of the project and find out if there’s actually an appetite for this photobook and therefore raise funds towards the costs of the design, printing and binding. The great thing about this platform is that it’s a pre-sale for the book and you can be creative with offering all sorts of other ‘rewards’ so backers will get something in return. I’m not asking people to donate to my personal practice, I’m hopefully offering them something they want!

3 different print rewards - part of the special edition of the photobook which will be signed by me and the participants with hand finished details and comes with a copy of our zine from 2020, a postcard and other bits.

Something I’m really enjoying about the campaign is seeing what participants are choosing to show when they post about it online and reading the lovely things they are saying about the project and about working with me - without their enthusiasm, investment and commitment we’d never have made it this far!

We’ve had such a lot of love online and beyond from supporters of the project and our community which is really affirming and encouraging - fingers crossed this translates into backers and we can make the book we dream of!

“There is a real buzz about this book. We need it!!” Kate O'Donnell – Trans Creative

“Dunno about you but I am enjoying the gender revolution. Trans guys everywhere. Bring. It. On. They are changing the world with this new wave of masculinity. Move over Jordan Peterson, these boys are showing what non-toxic masculinity can look like - stoicism, strength and selflessness meets sex, style and subversion. This incredible epoch in queer culture in the London village is being captured by court photographer Holly Revell. Do as I do, and pre-order a copy on the link below. They have 28 days left to on this Kickstarter. Be part of queer history and invest in da best.” Duckie

“Extremely talented superstar photographer Holly Revell has spent the last six years working with a wonderful group of trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming humans to help them document and make visible their identities, experiences and joy. They're now ready to publish their book, I've a number of Holly's previous works and take it from me, it's going to be beautiful!” James Cronin

“If you can, please do support Holly Revell with her kickstarter for People Like Us. So many amazing people, who I have had the privilege of working with through Trans Creative, are featured in the photobook, alongside those I admire from outside of my TC connection. Let’s get this book made!” Emma Ferrier

“Just putting out another call for those interested in positive news and portrayals of trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people. We need these images! Please consider backing the incredible Holly Revell as she launches the kickstarter for her second book.” Catriona Fin

“Teach me how to be a Man. My Dad didn't have the time. My older brother Steve was busy with his own struggles. The boys on the estate and the blokes down the pub were scary, prone to violence and half of them are dead now. Teach me how to be a man, Trans Guy, re-invent these damaged goods and Teach me how to be a man.This post is an ADVERT for a new book. Give Holly Revell a few bob so they can publish their book, order it before it's published and support the pulse of this underground revolution. They are called Trans Guys. Some of them are called 'non binary people'. They are like punks or teds or mods or gays. They are a cultural movement, they are my mates and they are changing the world.” Simon Casson

Kickstarter have also been supportive and quickly selected us as a “Project We Love”, which is “their way of highlighting brilliant examples of creativity”.

"It's an honor to have this project on our platform that highlights these underrepresented communities, and for them to get this visibility is essential." Danny Baez - Kickstarter's Head of Arts

Back the book here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hollyrevell/people-like-us

THANKS so much! Holly / People Like Us

PEOPLE LIKE US - SHOUT FESTIVAL WORKSHOP - NOVEMBER 2021

Following last years commission to make our zine, Shout Festival partnered with me for my Arts Council Project Grant application this year resulting in me running a workshop for people based in Birmingham and the West Midlands to come and make a collaborative portrait and as Sabah Choudrey who assisted me and is part of the project said, “ pose, perform, transform and talk about what it means to be people like us - assigned female at birth trans men/masc/non-binary/gender fluid beings.”

Krishna 2019 (promotional image for the workshop)

Despite meticulous planning, it was hard to know how the workshop would go and who would show up. Would the group gel and be confident enough to be photographed in front of each other, I started to wonder as I travelled in on the train the day before feeling somewhat anxious about what I had set up. It dawned on me that I wasn’t feeling as prepared as I thought I was and that maybe I was asking a lot for individuals to come and share intimately with a group of strangers, would they even turn up?!

Rai at the workshop with their non-binary die

However the workshop went brilliantly and did all the things I wanted it to and more, it really was very special and I’m proud to say we created this safe and comfortable space for such intimacy. Participants were so warm and generous with what they chose to share and there were many overlaps regarding experience intertwined with very individual stories and anecdotes. The participants’ feedback says it best so over to them:

“I feel like I’ve come home!”

"I've only met other trans and non-binary people in ones and twos, or at a big national event, so meeting a group at a city close by was great: it felt like home and was really very moving. It was a nurturing environment; both the group and the camera encouraged me to be me and to be comfortable with that." Alix

“The workshop was a small group, which was the perfect size, and it was great to hear the experiences of the other participants. We started off with introductions and then talked about the project and any ideas we'd brought with us that might be worth exploring. I was a little shy at first - I always am - but settled down quickly as Holly and Sabah were wonderful at creating a relaxed atmosphere. Having my photo taken as the only person in the camera's eye was a bit nerve-wracking at first but it was something I wanted to do and Holly was great at putting me at ease. I'm very self-conscious about a lot of different parts of myself and my body so Holly being so kind and genuine really helped. I found the whole thing really affirming and positive. I felt pleased that I'd managed to do it and it gave me a sense of reassurance that I can be who I really am and be accepted for it.” Rai

“Participating in the People Like Us workshop was an invaluable experience for me. You don’t always realise your need for a space and how intrinsically people can understand you until you are thrust in to a scenario with people who at first seem very different, but all share a deep understanding of your struggle, but also your joy. Although I felt my medical transition finished 4 years ago, I was never truly able to share it publicly with many people. This space gave me the security and the compassion to own my body, to be comfortable in it, and to show off and embrace all that makes me different, but what ultimately brings us all together. It was a safe space, where we were able to discuss, to play, and to respect each other. Holly was incredible at making you feel relaxed and unafraid of the camera, and also to experiment and try something new.” Jade

Documentation by Sabah Choudrey

"I signed up to do the workshop because it’s taken me a long time to feel okay about my body and I wanted to try and explore that and push my boundaries. There are still parts of my body that I’m not comfortable with and wish were different, but I’ve also reached a point where I feel kindness towards my body and want to try and accept it more. Exploring this with photography seemed a great idea! I also think it’s really important to document AFAB GNC/n/b/trans people more because having more visible role models would have helped me enormously when I was younger. The workshop was really good. It was quite overwhelming at times because it brought up a lot of issues, but it was such a positive experience and really meant a lot to share it with such a wonderful group of people." Jess

“I have very fond memories of the 'People Like Us' workshop and the kindness shown by the facilitators and attendees. It helped me to touch upon parts of my identity that I struggle to access but notice, more and more, that they are struggling to emerge and find a voice. The time flew by and I was touched by the honesty of the group members and their open sense of acceptance and gentle encouragement. I left feeling exhausted but grateful that I had experienced such a wonderful feeling of safety in central Birmingham.” Heather

“The workshop atmosphere was a great mix of open, fun, exciting, and relaxed. I really really enjoyed the chance to have conversations with people who are close to me on the gender spectrum and to explore how I want to present myself to the world. It felt like the beginning of something necessary.” Jan

“In recent times, when I first owned my non-binary identity, the first euphoric thrill I got was from a pair of men's jungle print pyjamas... Maybe I'll bring those :-)” Alix in an email before the workshop.

“This is my favourite because it seems to capture a sense of in-betweenness and movement that captures my feelings about identity.” Heather

“I came to the photoshoot really wanting to bring a piece of my nan with me. She was extravagant and feminine, wearing lots of gold and bright red lipstick, and I felt that channeling that both softened my masculinity, and also reinforced it. She battled with breast cancer several times, and although our experiences are very different, we had similar procedures, both in order to save our lives. She was a catalyst for a lot of passions I have in life. He bravery constantly inspires me.” Jade

Here are some of the reasons participants gave for signing up to the workshop which I found very affirming:

“It was an event that targeted a section of the community that I am a part of that doesn’t always get highlighted, and is often misrepresented in mainstream media, so I was eager to participate and help change to perception of who we are as people, and to spread awareness, and generally have a bit of fun and try something new.” Jade

“I thought it would be a good way to explore my self-image and try to reconnect my mind's eye image of myself with my physical self. I hoped it would be an affirming experience that would give me a bit of confidence in myself and my identity. I also hoped to meet others who may have similar experiences to mine, or who could at least empathise.” Rai

“I came because it was a rare opportunity to meet others with a common approach to gender, and at the same time express some pride in who I am." Alix

So much happened in such a short time, I am in awe of all the participants and what they bought to the workshop and I’m so proud of what me, Sabah and my camera facilitated here - photography is so much more than making pictures to me and has always been about what the presence of a camera can make happen, from the days of my DARKROOM installations to important community building projects like this. It was a lot to hold but so worth it and I learnt loads, this experience has definitely inspired me to do more workshops across the UK hopefully to offer space like this to others who might have less access to community.

Sabah Choudrey 2021

And last but by no means least, I must say a huge thanks to Sabah Choudrey my “glamouress assistant” and forever muse, who I could not have done this workshop without, I appreciate all the knowledge and experience they bought to the workshop and how they helped to keep me balanced!

PEOPLE LIKE US - Work in Progress

PEOPLE LIKE US is a participatory photography project exploring AFAB (assigned female at birth) trans and non-binary identities and experience; masculinity, gender dysphoria and gender euphoria, cis expectations and the magic of gender non-conforming bodies, why they are or are not looked at, rituals and individual complexities.

I began this project about 18 months ago with a few friends who make up some of the 10 participants now involved who include Jen Smethurst, Krishna Istha, Sabah Choudhury, Azara Meghie, Felix Lane, Lucy Hutson, Chiron Stamp and Anna Wates, plus I’ll be working with more people in the new year as the project expands.

When I started the project I didn’t know what it would look like like, I just knew what I didn’t want to do which was a series of sombre editorial portraits. It is also very important that the work is collaborative and that the participants have autonomy over their images, they possess them.

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Starting with chats over tea and spicy ginger beers, I soon found that this was a very welcome project from the participants and that they trusted me to do it which was affirming and exciting. It came about when I realised that I knew quite a number of AFAB people who identify as non-binary and trans within our community and I felt they weren’t getting as much attention as others perhaps, but more to the point they had something very interesting to say. A friend had started to trial a new name and I was learning about some of their issues and dilemmas. Another friend had come out as non-binary and was literally bouncing about the scene as if they’d been born again, I was learning what it was to really ‘see’ my friends as they took about being ‘seen’ themselves.

“Being visible isn't always possible or safe but being seen for who you truly are is a beautiful thing”. (participant quote)

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initial shoots have taken place in the studio and have become a space for continuing the dialogue, both in conversation and through image making.

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Binding has been a popular subject due to the day to day issues of dealing with breasts both physically and emotionally. Along with documenting various situations and forms, we have also used humour to play with the absurdity and difficulties in concealing ones chest area.

We have discussed bodies and how they don’t conform to cis expectations and why should they. Some of the participants are on T (testosterone) as hormone therapy , some are not but people often assume they are because apparently AFAB bodies are hair free for example - well this project disproves that one and shows real bodies.

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The messiness of gender is very much at the heart of this project, as well as celebrating the magic of gender non-conforming bodies and the humans within.

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The images below are a peak into a series of portraits (yet to be revealed) that make up part of the project which searches for a state of gender euphoria and also plays with campness, sexiness and the homoerotic showing the beauty and empowerment of the participants.

This is just a snapshot of the beginning of a long project which will carry on the conversation, work with more people and follow the lives of some of the participants as their identities continue to grow.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and watch this space for more from the project in the new year!