SESSION 81, ILLEGAL CINEMA

Screening of The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, Marie Losier, 2011, proposed by la santamari(c)a and followed by discussion.

Love would seem to be the enemy of feminism.

And how not to see it with suspicion? Love (romantic love, naturally) is the perfect lubricant for presenting the nuclear, heterosexual family as the single fate of every human being; a force which escapes reason and therefore can’t be refuted by it.

But now, in the age of Tinder and capitalized polyamory, many of us are starting to think that running from love might not be the answer; that commitment, faithfulness and giving also make us feel stable and fulfilled. And then we come across a problem – the lack of references. All those romantic comedies, sentimental songs and teenage memories that fed into the imagery we have of love are nothing but the same old story told in different ways.

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye is a testimony of a love story which would never make Valentine’s Day. It is a performative consideration of two themes, love and identity. Genesis and Lady Jaye loved each other so much, somehow, that they decided to become one. Their love give birth not to any children, but to their self/themselves.

la santamari(c)a. Gay artist and writer for Pikara Magazine. Studies Medicine at Basurto, Universidad del País Vasco, UPV-EHU. Her work revolves around the production of identity and the body, considered through gender, social movements and antipsychiatry.