• Tearing the Fabric of Binary Gender; Reweaving Bodies and Land

The settler North American conceptualization of gender within a binary or a linear spectrum does not create space for the fluidity and multiplicity of gender. Through this binary system gendered power imbalances are enforced. By exploding the existing binary structure we can recognize the boundlessness of gender, creating space for the nuanced multiplicity of human identities. The binary structure disassociates and disconnects the human body from the land by enforcing boundaries and manufacturing opposition. Through the creation and exploration of gender-bending fashion, new connections can be made and a broader expression of our gender constellations can be communicated visually. The creation of textile pieces within this project has operated both as a core research method and as a product of the research process. Garments that once perpetuated binary systems have been semiotically and literally deconstructed and reimagined into crocheted, woven, and sewn pieces. The intimacy of garments and textiles as they relate to body and land is pivotal in effecting change within expressions of genders. By queering our conceptualizations of garments, we can better engage in decolonization and re-engage with our responsibilities to bodies and the land.