“Bird” Watching techniques for spotting and identifying queer identities
Xristina Trixa
NATIONAL GARDEN, ATHENS, GREECE, 5 JUNE 2021, 16:00-19:00
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“Bird” Watching is a playful interactive and participatory performance that intends to provoke questions on the nature of seeing and its role in the process of creating meaning, in forming identities and in gaining (in)visibility.
Traditional Bird Watching is a form of wildlife observation in which the observation of birds is a recreational activity. The ideal goal of this activity is to recognise and identify different types of birds, however, reaching this goal is not a priority. “Birding” is more about the process, one that has to do with full attention to the surroundings and with slowing down. Through this process, birders (the people performing birdwatching) learn to listen, observe, and to think about what it is that they are seeing, understand behaviours and to exercise their curiosity.
We have collected a variety of exotic and queer human/birds and have set them free in the National Garden of Athens. We invite you to put on your trail boots and become a birder for one day- try to spot and observe those “birds”. You will be trained in techniques for“seeing”, taking field notes and sketching, while experiencing slowing down. You will also acquire information on gender identities, expressions and on bird behaviours.
The aim is to examine whether and to what extent slow, mindful and intentional“bird”watching can help both the “bird” (the observed) and its observers deal better with situations of seeing, “reading”and identifying one another.
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The “Naturalist” Chistina Tricha identifies as a Greek pansexual woman on the verge of a midlife crisis. “I need to claim and explain this identity in my everyday encounters. People have called me“that darker boy”, “palikari”, “phile mou”, “lesbian”, “butch”, “meneer”, “freak”, “sir” and “Chris”. I am on a regular basis misgendered and pass for a 20-something year-old student. Whenever someone recognises me as either woman, or even 40, I experience sudden happiness. As if unexpectedly meeting a close friend, I feel loved, recognised, identified and seen.”
The Naturalist lives in a constant state of exploration inside the jungle of vision and realities. She is struggling to find the answers to the following questions, although she couldn't care less about the answers- she is there only for the joy of making circles.
Some of the jungle questions:
How can I be something totally different from what people see of me?
Are the people who “see” me, different from the ones who don't? Is there a way to consciously train our vision to see without making assumptions? Who am I when I am not seen?
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The “Birds”/ creative team: Viktoria, Katerina Paouri, Lida Farakouki, Danai Gkougia, Christina Ioannidou, Athanasia Tsatsou, AlexandraKyritsi, mister bibibo, Lezcosmos (Mrs & Mrs “E”)
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