Travis Alabanza

Travis Alabanza (born 15 November 1995[1][2]) is an English performance artist, writer and theatre maker.

Travis Alabanza
Born (1995-11-15) 15 November 1995[1][2]
Bristol, South West England,
United Kingdom
Known forBURGERZ
Notable work
BURGERZ, Before I Walk Outside [You Love Me]
Websitetravisalabanza.co.uk

Career

Alabanza first became published for poetry in Black and Gay in the UK Anthology in 2015.[3] Later that year Alabanza went on tour for their theatre show Stories of a Queer Brown Muddy Kid, performing at clubs, bookstores, and performance venues across the United Kingdom and abroad.[4] They have been featured as a guest lecturer and panelist at over forty universities in the United Kingdom during LGBTQ and Black History month to discuss issues related to race, sexual orientation, and gender. Their work has been featured in Duckie, Bar Wotever, And What! Festival, Hamburg International Feminist Festival, Late at Tate, the V&A, and Transmission Gallery.[5][6] They are currently the youngest person to be awarded a residency at The Tate in 2017/2018.[1]

In 2016, Alabanza starred in the five star roundhouse production of Putting Words in Your Mouth by Scottee and became one of the 2016–2017 Artists in Residence at the Tate Britain. In 2017, they began working on a solo exhibition, The Other'd Artist for Transmission Gallery in Glasgow.[5] Alabanza released their first chapbook titled Before I Step Outside. (You Love Me); a compilation of visual art, poetry, diary entries, and essays.[7][8] They also performed the leading role in the stage adaptation of Derek Jarman's punk film Jubilee.[9]

Alabanza has critiqued mainstream feminism for having been rooted in transphobia and mainstream feminists for often neglecting trans and gender non-conforming people in their discussions of progress.[10]

In 2018, Alabanza started a new show called Burgerz.[11] This show focuses on audience participation regarding an incident in 2016 where a person threw a burger at them while walking across a bridge in London.[12][1] The show ran its UK Tour from October 19 to November 17 in 2018.[13]

In 2019, Alabanza and Kaulbach, childhood friends, collaborated on an immersive installation titled All the Ways We Could Grow.[14] The installation explores the question, 'What's it like to be trans?'[15] while also provoking exploration into the calmness one experiences in their safe place, their bedroom. Disguised as a sleepover with pink satin sheets and pillows, the audience is encourage to take the space and imagine/reflect. The installation challenges the need for gender in society through works of imagery and poetry.

Personal life

Alabanza was born in Bristol and grew up on a council estate.[16] They started making their art when they were 16 years old, helping them work through and process what adversities they were facing as a black, queer person.[17] Alabanza began with their poems just as drafts on their phone, thinking they'd never show them to anyone else. After getting the burger thrown at them, they got fed up with keeping their feelings to themselves and presented their poems to their friend who was going through the same issues, which made Alabanza decide to make their works public.[18] Alabanza identifies as black, trans feminine, gender non-conforming, and uses the pronouns they/them.[19][20] Alabanza speaks out for trans rights and the importance of safe spaces and communities for gender non-conforming and transgender people.[21]

In November 2017, Alabanza was denied access to a female dressing room while shopping at Topshop in Manchester, the fashion retailer owned by Sir Philip Green. Alabanza was told to use the men's dressing room.[22] They left the store and filed a complaint through social media.[23] Alabanza accused Topshop of going against their policy to allow trans individuals to use the dressing rooms associated with their preferred gender.[24][25] The Times published an opinion piece by Janice Turner, incorrectly implying that Topshop's policy was changed because of Alabanza's tweet and claiming the policy would lead to child abuse.[26][9] Subsequently, Alabanza received online death threats over Topshop's policy.[9]

Works
List of Works
Work Title Publisher Date Published Type of Work
The Sea OUTspoken April 2017 Poem
Queer and Now The Tate June 2017 Performance
Before I Step Outside. (You Love Me) July 2017 Chapbook of poetry, essays, photos
Who is Allowed to be a Victim? TEDxBrum October 2017 Performance/TED Talk
TRANZ TALKZ Hackney Showroom October 2018 Dinner & Performance
BURGERZ Art Council England October 2018 Interactive Performance
THE HEEL OF MARSHA. Gay Times October 2018 Poem
All the Ways We Could Grow

(collaboration with Denny Kaulbach)

 London's Free Word Centre February 2019 An immersive bedroom installation[27]
MY STUBBLE HAS NO GENDER (collaboration with Denny Kaulbach) Print

References
  1. Beresford, Meka (2018-11-06). "Battling transphobia with burgers". Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  2. @travisalabanza (15 Nov 2019). "My second birthday doing Burgerz but luckily I'm in love with the show and performing! Some tickets left for @warwickarts tonight, come and bring some cake / lip gloss / candles xxxxx" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. "In Conversation with Travis Alabanza: We Have Already Re-made All the Rules – Young Poets Network". ypn.poetrysociety.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  4. "STORIES OF A QUEER BROWN MUDDY KID". TRAVIS ALABANZA. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  5. "About – TRAVIS ALABANZA". travisalabanza.co.uk.
  6. "Travis Alabanza". TEDxBrum.
  7. "Travis Alabanza's Debut Chapbook Reflects on Trans Femme Life in London". 20 July 2017.
  8. Alabanza, Travis. "'Before I Step Outside [You Love Me]' - chapbook". Travis Alabanza.
  9. Dazed (11 November 2017). "Artist smeared by media after Topshop transphobia".
  10. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DjvZ6TIXgAECw3u.jpg:large
  11. Beresford, Meka (2018-11-06). "Battling transphobia with burgers". BBC News.
  12. Paskett, Zoe (17 October 2018). "Travis Alabanza interview: 'So many of us are figuring out gender. Trans people are just more honest about it'". Evening Standard, Go London. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  13. "BURGERZ". TRAVIS ALABANZA. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  14. "All The Ways We Could Grow: Installation | Free Word". freeword.org. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  15. "Season Launch Promo Film | Free Word". freeword.org. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  16. "Interview: Travis Alabanza". 14 June 2016.
  17. "Black, queer, and VISIBLE". Gay Times. 1 October 2017.
  18. "Brighton Festival 2018: Travis Alabanza on why "trans people are the lucky ones"". The Argus. 28 April 2018.
  19. "Topshop Refused To Let A Trans Person Into An All-Gender Changing Room".
  20. "Interview: Travis Alabanza on their chapbook, Before I Step Outside (You Love Me)". 2 August 2017.
  21. Jones, Dylan (4 October 2017). "Travis Alabanza: The critically-acclaimed artist and performer talks harassment, visibility and perceptions of gender".
  22. Elizabeth, Devon. "Topshop's Gender-Neutral Changing Rooms Are a Step in the Right Direction".
  23. Harley, Nicola (8 November 2017). "Topshop announces gender-neutral changing rooms after trans customer was refused access to female cubicles". The Telegraph – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  24. "Topshop says customers can use any fitting room they like – but a trans person claims employees refused to let them".
  25. "Topshop and Topman make all changing rooms gender-neutral". 2017-11-09.
  26. Turner, Janice. "Children sacrificed to appease trans lobby". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-02-29.
  27. Minamore, Bridget (2019-03-27). "'Damn, I'm good at this!' Is Travis Alabanza the future of theatre?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
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