Dermis
/ˈdərməs/
The thick layer of living tissue below the epidermis that forms the true skin, containing blood capillaries, nerve endings, sweat glands, hair follicles, and other structures.
Dermis is an ongoing collaborative photography series with Michael J. Wilson.
Dermis Volume I: A Prototype Map of Queer Brooklyn
As lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people get more accepted in mainstream culture and commerce, we run a risk of getting so comfortable that we ignore the experiences and identities at our margins. This goes against the radical queer spirit that sparked off riots across the US more than 50 years ago. To keep the movement sharp and incisive, we need to continue the uncomfortable and beautiful work of recognizing our identities.
In Dermis, participants are photographed standing in the projection of their own image. The process shows the subject in a disorienting, fleshy light. Small movements present distortions, contradictions, and surprises living on and just below the skin.
For Dermis Volume I, we created portraits of LGBTQIA+ Brooklynites. We asked each participant where in Brooklyn they feel most free to be themselves in their gender and sexuality, and then mapped their portraits to those locations.
Dermis Volume I is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
