In a secluded room at Fairbanks Hall a series of vibrant and lively photographs feature two adolescent girls struggling with their identity. To a visitor, it feels like entering the privacy of a teenage girl’s bedroom, seeing her posters on the wall, tubes of makeup and magazine cut-outs piled across the floor, and watching her as she fills a diary with her secrets.
WINGS, a family project exploring sisterhood, femininity and having a strong support system in adolescence, is showcased at Fairbanks Gallery until May 17.
WINGS came into fruition when internationally acclaimed photographer, Holly Andres, received a screenplay for a short film written by her then 13-year-old niece, Violet Bye.
Inspired by Bye’s experience of coming out as lesbian to her immediate family and her aunt, Andres, WINGS delves into the challenges queer adolescents faced in the ‘70s.
“I wanted to put the film in a less accepting time,” Bye said. “I always wondered what it would’ve been like for me to grow up in that time and those surroundings.”
In WINGS, the character of Dawn, portrayed by Bye herself, struggles to hide her sexuality from her older sister, Michelle, portrayed by Bye’s older sister Stella. Little does Dawn know that Michelle is also keeping her own queer identity a secret.
Impressed by her niece’s ambitious script, Andres decided to help Bye make her film.
“I thought ‘what happens if you provide the support in the form of mentorship and production support to a child so that they can direct their own screenplays’,” Andres said.
With Bye as the director and Andres as the cinematographer, the rest of the family got involved. Bye’s parents and older sister, Stella, also starred in the film.
For Bye, writing has always been a passion. But directing a short film with her family was not something she was prepared to do.
“My aunt was filming me while others were filming her, and everyone seemed to know what they were doing. Except me,” Bye said.
Andres asked a friend to shoot b-roll footage of their filming process to document the highs and lows of the creative process.
The WINGS exhibit showcases photographs taken by Andres that highlight the key points of Bye’s story. Objects from the film are also on display as signifiers to femininity and the coming of age process.
In the film, Dawn’s older sister, Michelle, tries to teach her how to be more of a “feminine girl” in order to fit in better.
Bye made the decision to leave certain things up to the audience’s conclusions, such as the characters’ sexuality. But overall, she wanted to highlight the idea of having a strong support system.
Bye’s own family have always been supportive of her identity. She noted that working with her family on WINGS was an incredible experience.
“I’m so grateful that they were so invested in my vision,” Bye said. “Overall, I had so many people so ready to help with anything I needed, and I would love to do something like it again sometime. They are some of my favorite people in the world.”
