Are You A Boy Or A Girl?
Too often, strangers approach Howkins and feel that the way Howkins looks gives them the right to ask “are you a boy or a girl?”. This durational performance for camera features the artist repeating this phrase over and over because for the stranger it's a one off experience, but for Howkins it's something that stays with them and continues to happen, so the idea is that the film plays continuously and the audience will dip in and out of this interrogative experience.
Are You A Boy Or A Girl? is a 30 minute looping film, below is a 3 minute clip.
Are You A Boy Or A Girl? is a 30 minute looping film, below is a 3 minute clip.
Does It Matter?
Does it Matter? is a nine minute film which features Howkins as characters of various genders to explore the possibilities of gender expression. They were intrigued by how frustrated people can become as they attempt to identify the gender of someone whose gender expression is beyond the gender binary; the intention of the film was to create a sense of ambiguity which causes the viewer to make assumptions about the genders of the characters but then ultimately ask does it matter?
