the queer metamorphosis, 2023

As a Queer Black person, I have always had unwanted eyes on me. Growing up in conservative and predominantly white spaces, I was constantly told how different I was from everyone around me. Words like “exotic” and “unique” were used to describe me within school and social settings, and it made me feel as though I was some sort of spectacle to gawk at. I felt like an outsider in my own hometown. The Queer Metamorphosis is a physical representation of what it felt like to grow up in these environments, told through the life cycle of a butterfly. 

This 13 foot tall hanging soft sculpture/puppet illustrates a butterfly-human hybrid emerging from its chrysalis. The creature is a colorfully glittering spectacle at its most vulnerable; freshly birthed state. Paying homage to my ancestors and upbringing, the wings sprouting from the shoulder, arm, and hand, are inspired by native Jamaican and Greek butterflies, while the wings of the face are inspired by native New York ones.

The Queer Metamorphosis is internally constructed from upholstery foam and cardboard. The butterfly wings on the face, shoulder, hand, and arm are quilted with colorful cotton fabrics and layers of glitter tulle overtop. The same technique is used for other parts of the body, with glitter-filled fabric medium instead of tulle. 

Butterflies Referenced: Southern Comma, Clouded Yellow, Silver Emperor, White Peacock, Mangrove Buckeye, Boloria Selene, Pipevine Swallowtail, Northern Metalmark, and Orange Sulfur