Collected Item: “This is what a bibollera looks like”
What is your name?
Maddy
What are your pronouns?
she/her
Use the following phrase for your photograph's title, filling in the blank with however you self-identify. Feel free to include all intersections of your identity. (Examples: lesbian, trans person of color, Latinx queer woman, radical faery, butch, etc.): "This is what a _______ looks like."
bibollera
Tell us more about your photo by sharing a brief artist statement or answering this prompt: "This is what being ______ means to me..."
A lover came to visit me in Madrid and we stayed in the house of a mutual acquaintance. We shared a long, dreamy sapphic weekend, she was travelling Europe and I wasn't sure if I would see her again. I wanted to capture the view from the bed that was lent to us on my little analogue point-and-shoot. It was a moment when I felt very connected to the generosity and power of the dyke community. The neckerchief on the wall reads 'LESBIANISM OR BARABARISM'. Though there are no people in the photo, I feel the identities of all three of us combine and shine through the different features of the image, the necker, the picture of the Alhambra, our clothes strewn in a mishmash over a 'men at work' sign. The sleeve of the shirt and the shape of the banana plant even look a little like Ls. The word I chose for the title is 'bibollera', a term used in Spain to refer to the intersection of the bi and lesbian community, and to me, being bibollera means exactly this, sharing space and occupying it in all our queer glory.
Describe your photo so we can provide alt-text for future visitors to this website. Example: "Two women holding hands and smiling as they walk in a pride parade, surrounded by rainbow flags and a vibrant crowd celebrating LGBTQ+ pride."
A slightly grainy black and white analogue photo of the corner of a bedroom. In the bottom right, the corner of a 'men at work' roadsign is visible beneath a pile of clothes strewn haphazardly over it. Taped to the wall is a picture of the Alhambra palace in Granada, and beneath this, a neckerchief embroidered with the Spanish words 'Lesbianismo o barbarie', lesbianism or barbarism. In the bottom left is a banana plant.
Do you consent to The Curve Foundation storing, sharing, and using this image and its description as we deem appropriate, including disseminating on our social media, website, and Curve quarterly? Do you confirm that you hold the rights to this image?
Yes
What is your instagram handle?
@madelinske
In the event that you win this contest, how can we best contact you: Instagram, email, or other? If other, please provide contact details.
email