The Museum of Transology
Various Artists
Fashion Space Gallery
20 JANUARY - 22 APRIL 2017
Free
Contained within London College of Fashion, the Fashion Space Gallery is a small space which manages to hold a lot of information. The Museum of Transology explores what it means to be 'Trans'. Transgender is the name given to those whose personal sense of identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex. It is highly a highly informative and emotive exhibition, despite being in such a confined space.
Consisting mostly of artefacts, personal objects and memories donated by the trans community. Each artefact, object, or memory has a small tag attached to it with a description of what it is and how it impacted the subject's life. One which stood out to me was a pickled pair of tattooed breasts someone had had removed - entitled 'Thanks For The Mammories'. These unwanted female breasts contrasted strongly with the fake implants someone of the opposite 'gendered' sex had owned - the note reading 'What Mother Nature didn't give me xxx'.
The exhibition also had some documentary footage on a loop, inviting readers to listen in with headphones. I watched a 10 minute clip documenting the life of a young boy, who was born into a female body. He described his distress at feeling disconnected from the body he was in, to such an extent that the process of showering was an actual fear due to him having to be confronted with his female genitalia. The clip saw the boy tell us of his earliest experiences and realisations that he was Trans, along with comments from his family, in particular his incredibly supportive mother.
The exhibition on the whole was both disturbing and heartwarming. Disturbing in the situations described where Trans members of the community were mistreated - such as the apology letter from Ryan Air included. Heartwarming in the moments of hope and joy - for example the hormonal medication described to help Trans people begin to feel themselves again - that being their true selves, their true sex.
If you go to this exhibition you are guaranteed to walk out having learnt something you didn't know before. Whatsmore, you will have a greater appreciation of the diversity our current society allows for, as well as the knowledge that despite leaps and bounds having been made in acceptance, there is still a long way to go.
OVERALL RATING: ****
http://www.fashionspacegallery.com/exhibition/museum-transology/
