I like to say that I have been “conditioned to be a girl” – this body in which I inhabit is not by choice. Being a ballerina was my biggest dream as a child, but after being diagnosed with depression, I quit dance. Years later, I picked up waacking, a dance form originating from Queer clubs in Los Angeles, in order to reclaim dance for myself without strict rules or judgement. Throughout the project, a question kept recurring in my mind: "who am I, really?". I knew I wasn't the ghost of my younger self, nor the flamboyant, confident Queer person I thought I would be. I came to the conclusion that I'm still exploring my identity. For this video work, I project segmented silhouettes of different parts of my body - feet, legs, chest, arms, and hands - in a randomly generated order. The videos are disjointed and isolated, reflecting the opposing sides of myself that I contain within. This video was born out of a desire to explore identity, gender as a performance, as well as the body as a vessel for the true self to emerge. 

Sophie is an aspiring media artist practicing on Bedegal land. They are currently studying Computer Science and Media Arts and interested in the intersection of technology and queerness. Their practice spans moving image, performance, and writing.