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Reflection

Raiza

Sunday, Apr 17, 2016 - 10:24:03 pm

@ Raiza F.A.

The final project was enjoyable because, I was able to not only find out more about Guanyin but also try and see it in the modern context and envision how different connotations it might have had it the artwork was made in modern times.

However, our journey to the final product was not an easy one as it was fraught with Read more →

Categories: Journal | The Tranny Diaries
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Reflection: The Tranny Diaries with Freedom To Be

Iskandar Ruhaizat

Sunday, Apr 17, 2016 - 10:14:44 pm

@ Sang Musang

Group: The Tranny Diaries

Team Member: Christy, Juliana, Raiza

The Tranny Diaries wants our topic to be ~*unique*~ as compared to other groups, hence the reason why decided to do on transgender issues to parallel Guanyin’s own transformation. Also, because issues pertaining to LGBT has been gaining ground recently (though with much more emphasis on homosexuality, such as the gay marriage act being Read more →

Categories: Journal | The Tranny Diaries
Tags: The Tranny Diaries | transgender
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Art History Visual Response: A Reflection

Christy Stephanie

Sunday, Apr 17, 2016 - 09:37:30 pm

@ Christy Stephanie

The Tranny Diaries group settled unanimously on the topic of Chinese Buddhism and went on from there. We were interested in Guanyin and how she was transformed from a masculine entity to a feminine one, similar to transgenders. For me personally, I agreed with the idea of exploring the issue about transgenders because I have never responded actively to a topic Read more →

Categories: The Tranny Diaries
Tags: art history | buddha | guanyin | transgender
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Artist Statement

Iskandar Ruhaizat

Wednesday, Apr 13, 2016 - 01:11:39 am

@ Sang Musang

Freedom To Be

In this age where LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) rights is gaining traction, the T in the equation still faces alienation, even within the LGBT community. Local events to raise awareness pertaining to LGBT issues such as Pink Dot tend to have a strong emphasis on gay and lesbian issues. Freedom To Be addresses this gap by taking inspiration Read more →

Categories: The Tranny Diaries
Tags: buddhism | LGBT | The Tranny Diaries | transgender
(4) Show Comments
Sujatha Meegama
Good job! We need a transitional sentence at the end of the first paragraph. Otherwise, there is a sudden jump. How about something like this: Freedom To Be (in italics) addresses this vacuum by inviting viewers to think about a a bodhisattva, who subverts our current understanding of gender identity. Let's edit it the second paragraph a bit more: This artwork is a visual response to the (what's the date? from where?) limestone Bodhisattva statue of possibly Guanyin in the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore. It consists of printed .gif squares that document a male in the process of transitioning into female, Freedom To Be explores the transition of Guanyin from male to female form. What exactly is your artwork exploring? Guanyin's transition or the transition of a current male figure? Or, both? Elizabeth Stuart, a pioneer in queer theology, argues that Guanyin, who is still widely revered by Buddhists, plays an important role in defying societal norms on gender. Buddhism is “queer before queer theory ever began”. who is saying this? This is further compounded (word choice: does compounded have a positive meaning?) by the fact that early Mahayana scriptures (too Christo-centric; word choice) view gender as malleable. Guanyin, a figure whose essential manifestation is female, is also? understood as male; her situation parallels that of transgender (male-to-female), who believes that they are intrinsically female but born in a male body. Hope the editing helps! I appreciate the interactive nature of the prototype.
Christy Stephanie
Hi Sujatha! Iskandar edited the proposal as above. Could you perhaps check on it? On another note, the word choice for "Mahayana scriptures", would it be okay to say "Mahayana sutras" instead? (Because I think the Christo-centric word you were referring to was 'scriptures'?) Thank you so much for the editing!
Sujatha Meegama
Good. A few more suggestions: This artwork is a visual response to an 8th-Century Tang dynasty limestone Bodhisattva sculpture from the Asian Civilisations Museum, which is most likely to be Guanyin.--this which is modifying the museum. This sentence is too long and confusing: Elizabeth Stuart, a pioneer in queer theology, argues that Guanyin plays an important role in defying societal norms on gender with her disposition yet is still widely revered by Buddhists, even going as far as stating that Buddhism is “queer before queer theory ever began”. Is she known for "due to her attributes of bountiful kindness and acceptance,?" She is like a mother. Yes, sutras would be best. Or simply texts. Good job!
Randall Packer
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The Tranny Diaries

Iskandar Ruhaizat

Monday, Apr 04, 2016 - 01:36:13 am

@ Sang Musang

Chosen subject: Chinese Buddhism

Group Mates: Christy Stephanie, Iskandar Ruhaizat, Juliana Ang, Raiza Feroz

Museum Visited: Asian Civilisation Museum

Chosen Object:

Research:

We decided to appropriate Guanyin as we felt that the issue on gender identity is even more pronounced now than ever; Guanyin is the perfect embodiment to present this situation. Facing stigma due to their gender orientation, transexuals (mainly East Asian) Read more →

Categories: The Tranny Diaries
Tags: bodhisattva | buddhism | gender identity
(1) Show Comments
Sujatha Meegama
What a fascinating project! I appreciate the case studies of previous visual responses. But, none of them seem to be specifically about highlighting the challenges that transexuals face everyday. Please give us more research about how transexuals turn to Guanyin in East Asia (a very big place). What about the life of transexuals in Singapore? The layered image looks great, except that I don't understand it...
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