Moments of Drag

Moments of Drag is a time(piece) that explores temporal drag, a concept in queer time theory which challenges traditional notions of linear temporality. The piece measures the ways in which past events and historical figures have a “dragging” effect on the present, causing queer people to feel out-of-sync with heteronormative timelines.

Queer people are experiencing temporal drag constantly through both physical and mental manifestations, whether they are aware of it or not. I created this time(piece) as a way to make this experience more explicit, so that queer people could explore various aspects of their identity and lived experience through their relation to queer time. I knew that the best way to do this was to create a tangible experience where users would physically join hands with someone “from the past” and hear their story. When approaching the time(piece), users reflect upon six different themes (belonging, prejudice, gender norms, sex, joy, and music) inscribed on the cards just to the side of the piece. They select the cards that move them, then pass through the curtain, at which point a (real!) person joins hands with them. They listen to an audio clip from a queer ancestor, taking in their words while connecting across the ages.

This was my first making challenge at Stanford. I learned a lot of new physical making skills through the creation of this time(piece), such as sewing and laser cutting. I flexed my digital chops through card design and audio archiving, paying close attention to experiential design when putting all the parts together. Having a real person on the other side of the curtain to join hands with created unique experiences for each person engaging with the time(piece), as the experience would change every time. The hand you held was sometimes gloved, sometimes rigid, sometimes playful. It enhanced the intimacy of the experience.

Building Moments of Drag was an exhausting but deeply rewarding journey, as it allowed me to explore my own connections with queer pasts while creating a piece that bridges art, technology, and queer identity. Moments of Drag not only offers queer individuals an opportunity to explore how their identity and existence are influenced by the past, but also serves as a testament to the power of interdisciplinary approaches in creating a thought-provoking experience.