Glitch
“Glitch is all about traversing along edges and stepping to the limits, those we occupy and push through, on our journey to defining ourselves. Glitch is also about claiming our right to complexity, to range, within and beyond the proverbial margins.” (p. 22)
— Glitch Feminism: A Manifesto by Legacy Russell
[from left to right]
Boy George Michael
Glitch Queer Spells, October 2021
Ty Valentine
Glitch Queer Spells, October 2021
Xaddy Addy
Glitch Back to School, September 2022
Juno Stardust
Glitch Gayliens, November 2021
Veronica Viper
Glitch Queer Joy, June 2022
Jack Barrow
Glitch Queer Joy, June 2022
Theydy Bedbug
Glitch Back to School, September 2022
The three C’s: Cash, Cheers, and Consent. These were the rules that governed the space and were announced at the beginning of every single show. Glitch began in 2021 and remained as a monthly drag/burlesque show hosted by Brazilian performer, Juno Stardust, at Pink Metal Bar in Brooklyn, New York and lasted through 2023. Each show had its own unique theme for its performances, ranging from the abstract “April Showers” to the concise “Bowie Night.”
Unlike other shows, Glitch emphasized breaking binaries and had continuously centered queerness, in all of its forms, at the core of its identity. Going on to create community-led merch fronting the tagline, “Glitch in the Cistem,” a play on the word cisgender. The phrase embodies the heart of the show, as a space for gender non-conforming artists to perform and boldly express their identities.
Photography is more than just an image; it’s a tool that encapsulates a space, and empowers those within it to be themselves. One way that I hope to lead the way for a more accessible world is by documenting queer performance art as a way to bring people together. There is a privilege behind whose stories are told, and it is imperative that archives and special collections be used towards uplifting the stories of those that may have been excluded from the record. It is an honor to be able to exist in these spaces alongside such incredible individuals, and highlight their work as an integral part of the queer community.