'DIGGING FOR BLACK TRANS LIFE' was streaming on 4:3 in October 2019 YOU ARE BEING LET INTO A SPACE THIS SPACE WAS MADE FOR BLACK TRANS BODIES WHO WERE WRONGLY ARCHIVED OR NEVER ARCHIVED AT ALL AN ARCHIVE IS SUPPOSED TO HOLD PROOF OF EXISTENCE BUT INSTEAD IT ERASED THEIR EXISTENCE AFTER THEY DIED AFTER THEY COULD NOT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES THE BLACK OCEAN WASHED THEM UP TO THIS PLACE TO STORE THEM TO CENTRE THEM SO THAT THEY COULD SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES YOU ARE ENTERING THEIR SPACE YOU ARE ENTERING OUR SPACE YOU MAY FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE <b>Bio</b> Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley is an artist working predominantly in animation, sound and performance to communicate their experience as a Black Trans person. Their practice focuses on recording the lives of Black Trans people, intertwining lived experience with fiction to imaginatively retell Trans stories. Spurred on by a desire to meet buried bodies like theirs, their work dreams of a Trans archive where Black Trans people could share their buried experiences. Throughout history, Black queer and Trans people have been erased from the archives. Because of this it is necessary not only to archive our existence, but also the many creative narratives we have used and continue to use to share our experiences. <b>Relationship to lesbian identity:</b> I came to Lesbianism after having to fight for it. I fought myself. Others fought me to keep me away from it. Once I got close enough, and realised that the term "LESBIAN" could hold my being trans, I finally allowed myself to soak in terms like BAD ASS TRANS DYKE. When I think of Lesbianism, I think of Black Queer women who have layed the ground that we walk on. I am thankful to those who stood up and built platforms for us when no one else did, so that we can stand above the arms that continue to try and tear us down.