GENDTENT Installation

GendTent is an interactive installation exploring the presentation, perception and negotiations of one’s own gender through their clothing style and fashion. The actual GendTent is a tent built from thrifted, recycled, donated clothes/ garments wherein folks can enter and engage in the colorful space of the tent at any time during the festival. Inside the tent, audiences are invited to try on and play with racks and bins of clothes. Definitions of gender, gender identity, gender expression and perception are found throughout the space as well as other gender resources on campus and from the Austin community. Audiences can also engage with prompts written on mirrors throughout the space.

The idea of the tent is borrowed from activist and protest spaces where a medical tent is usually found to offer medical assistance, water/food, mental health resources, etc. GendTent offers a space for folks to safely explore their own ideas of gender, the way they interact with gender and how/if their clothing/style play a role in that conversation.

PROJECT LEAD

Mateo Hernandez

LOCATION

WIN 2.121

A GREEN MOMENT TO SHARE Play

APPROXIMATE RUN TIME

Installation will be available for the duration of the festival

April 3-7, 2023.

Contains mature content including language and themes of environmental justice which include discussions of racial trauma, climate anxiety, climate grief and mental health.

Environmental change represents a crucial issue for many University of Texas at Austin students, as this topic intertwines with culture, well-being and aspirations. However, mainstream environmental narratives often ignore young people’s voices and rely on buzzwords (ex. recycling), blame the individual (ex. plastic straws), or propose solutions that exclude vulnerable communities (ex. technofixes). While scholars and practitioners increasingly recognize the importance of processing environmental change intellectually and emotionally, the body and the arts are often overlooked.

This project addresses the sustainability aspects of environment and equity using arts-based research.

PROJECT LEAD

Nic Bennett

LOCATION

Winship Patio (East entrance to Winship Building near Waller Creek)

APPROXIMATE RUN TIME

One hour and 20 minutes

PERFORMANCES

April 5 at 5:30 p.m.

April 6 at 6:30 p.m.