This fall Liz Williams, who works as the Campaign for Southern Equality’s Southern Equality Studios Director, debuted a new art installation, Spectrum of Hope: What We See at the End of the Rainbow. The project was on view as one element to Pieces of Light, a collaborative partnership between the Six Feet Photography Project, Tom Rankin (Professor of the Practice of Art and Director, MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts at Duke University), and Durham Arts Council.
The Spectrum of Hope multimedia project is a collection of conversations that Liz had with members of the LGBTQ community in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Liz asked participants to reflect on one question: “What vision do you have for the future, individually and collectively?” Folks responded by sharing words, images, and objects in their lives that inspired hope. Liz used a projector to illuminate the participant’s face with these images and objects, then interviewed each one about what brings them hope.
The end result is a series of gorgeous, multilayered portraits and video segments where participants created a shared community vision of a brighter future for LGBTQ people and the world more generally.
In the coming months the Campaign for Southern Equality and our program Southern Equality Studios will be sharing videos and images from Liz’s Spectrum of Hope series on Instagram. And Liz is debuting the video project online for the first time now – watch the full 14-minute segment below, or click here to view the video on Instagram.
Liz explained in their artist statement, “Since the start of the pandemic, the queer community has worked hard to create bonds and learn from each other. During this time of isolation for everyone, especially for the LGBTQ communities that are so often ‘othered,’ we searched for ways to feel and express hope. We recognized that we’re not alone, and discovered so many new accessible ways for us to connect.”
“Through this series, the viewer is asked to see the commonality between themselves and the faces and stories before them and to recognize and find the universal thread of hope,” Liz said. “We all want to be seen and understood, especially when we share our base needs and vulnerabilities. This willingness to express vulnerability is important because it helps build bridges to people outside of our immediate circles – by tearing down these barriers that keep us insulated, we build communities of hope during this time that feels so especially dire.”
Follow along with @SouthernEqualityStudios and @SouthernEquality on Instagram, and click here to learn more about the Southern Equality Studios program.
