WE ARE HERE BECAUSE OF THOSE THAT ARE NOT

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley

"I don't want to lose any more trans people. So many of us have been lost and forgotten. We have always been here but history continues to bury our existence and remove our place from society. We deserve to be here. We deserve to be heard." - Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley.

This interactive animated film explores living as a trans person, and decisions around medicalising one’s body. In the style of a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' story visitors are invited to make choices as they journey through the game and interact with the characters - from beginning the process of medical transition with company run for and by black trans people, to resurrecting black trans ancestors who can share hidden knowledge.

Members of METRO Transcend, a monthly social for trans and nonbinary young people, as well as the artist's personal network, have worked with the artist to build fictional and real characters around their personal experiences. The different paths in the game reimagine ideas of how people could transition and provide insights into experiences of joy, anxiety and prejudice.

Image: WE ARE HERE BECAUSE OF THOSE THAT ARE NOT, Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, 2020.

About the contributor(s)

Danielle Brathwaite Shirley is an artist making work that seeks to archive Black trans experience. Working predominantly in animation and sound, they combine the two in a way to communicate their thoughts and experiences around Black, trans identity. Their video game aesthetic encourages the viewer to become the player and to have an active experience through the choices that are presented and chosen for them.

Contributors: Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley, Marikiscrycrycry, Pacheanne, Tobi Adebajo, Ebun Sodipo, Bernice Mulenga, Ornella Ospino-Blkmoodyboi, Jacob v Joyce, Shay P-W, Zamy, Camus-Doughen, Elijah Che, Travis Alabanza, Raks, Arthur Kibet, Vik, A Marlowe, Christopher.