C'NT Programming
A proposal from Keith Murray
Dear Lovers,
I am proposing here, a marriage.
You see, there has always been a part of me striving for greater freedom, desperately attempting to escape from the intense chaos of it all, and join the circus, or become a monk and hermit in a cave until enlightenment. Yet still, another part of me is deeply compelled to reach out to the world, to deepen the bonds of love, the connections and understandings we have between each other. Perhaps these opposing pulls to both transcend and include—to find greater freedom and greater communion—are the masculine and feminine sides of oneself.
In the performative video DIY: Do It Yourself, I am playing with these sides of myself, and with the idea that maybe one can find true love within, and not without. This to me is the definition of transgender, to be both masculine and feminine, male and female simultaneously, like a couple holding hands in your heart.
What would the world look like if we were all transgender? In Lady in the Tramp, I explore this fantasy. Set at Calgary’s historical Lougheed House and historical Beaulieu Gardens, also considered, the epicenter of Calgary’s homosexual prostitution district, or ‘the fruit loop,’ as it is referred to in local slang. These short black and white gender-bending vignettes are my playful way of re-writing history, posing an alternate queer version that more accurately reflects the current activities in the ‘hood.
The Calgary Stampede is another huge part of my Calgarian heritage that could use some Queerification. This candy-coated kitsch-fest recreates the spirit of the wild wild West for 10 days every year, where local residents and tourists don cowboy costumes and celebrate Western culture. I made Cowboi during the 2003 Stampede, in response to one of Alberta Premier Ralph Klein’s many attempts to thwart gay marriage legislation in Alberta. Ralph Klein finally lost his battle in 2005, when same-sex unions became legally recognized across Canada.
Perhaps it is possible to find balance and peace within, by falling in love with, and marrying, the feminine and masculine sides of one’s self. I propose, whether you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, straight, queer, single, dating, engaged, in a common-law relationship, polyamorous, celibate, polygamous, or just part of a ‘good-old-fashioned’ heterosexual marriage, is that right here, right now, you make a commitment to yourself. Take this moment to go ahead and tell yourself “I love you,” -don’t worry, it won’t be considered infidelity!
Love,
Keith Murray
Keith Murray - The Proposal, Images & CV