
Stations of the Lost
Stations of the Lost is a secular/gnostic requiem, a theater piece written by Dr. Felix Graham in collaboration with TRANScend, New York's trans/gender-expansive vocal ensemble, and Randy Polumbo, visual artist. The requiem, in oratorio form, will be performed alongside an installation of 14 panels, replacing the traditional stations of the cross with commemorative art pieces honoring the lives of trans artists (both past and present).
Traditionally, memorial works for marginalized people have posed as a mea culpa - looking back in sorrow. While looking back is important, we believe that looking forward is just as important...and a lot more beneficial to the people still living. As such, we are creating new art music in the classical tradition in honor of the national trans day of remembrance/resilience. Not just to celebrate the trans artists who have been lost to violence or societal neglect, but to uplift the trans artists who are with us now.
In the spirit of Dr. Graham’s composition, Polumbo painted a series of images of birds from life. These were re-imagined by his studio from 3-D scans of TRANScend members' hands and faces. Each bird is made of Reishi Mushroom mycelium grown into a mold made from elements gathered from TRANScend members and is associated with an important trans artist or activist, many of whom were lost to violence or neglect and all of whom made significant contributions to trans art, culture and visibility. Soaring fiercely, with wings made of human hands, and witnessing through over-scaled blown glass eyes. They draw a line between the tragic past and celebration of living trans people and mark that we are all watching and demand a just and inclusive future.
Rita Hester (1963-1998)
Whose life and murder inspired Transgender Day of Remembrance
Billy Tipton (1914-1989)
Famed trans jazz musician who passed away in 1989 and kept his trans identity hidden during his lifetime
Sophie Xeon (1986-2021)
Grammy award winning musician and activist
Lorenza Bottner (1959–1994)
Visual artist who used her non-conforming body as a site for art and transformation
Claude Cahun (1894-1954)
French Surrealist photographer, sculptor, and writer; WWII resistance fighter
Angela Morely (1984-2009)
British composer and famed voice on BBC radio, who worked under the name Walter Scott before transition
Virginia Prince (1912-2009)
Publisher of Transvestia Magazine
Coccinelle (1931-2006)
Actress, singer, and France's first Trans celebrity
Wilmer "Little Axe" Broadnax (1916-1992)
Gospel quartet singer
April Ashley (1935-2021)
English model and Fem Trans Pioneer
Lili Elbe (1882-1931)
Danish painter and one of the earliest documented recipients of sex reassignment surgery
Greer Lankton (1958-1996)
Artist and dollmaker famed for her contributions to the New York’s 1980’s downtown art scene
Mark Aguhar (1987-2012)
Activist, writer, and multimedia artist
Maxine Feldman (1945-2007)
Folk Musician and comedian, creator of first "out" lesbian anthem






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