Image description

Henrietta Bollinger is a nonbinary person with short hair. They are lying in bed with white linen and smiles at the camera cheekily.

Definition: An intimate visual poem with Henrietta Bollinger

Pelenakeke Brown and videographer Julie Zhu travelled down to Whanganui-a tara to transform Henrietta’s words into a stand alone video work. The intention was to invite the audience to experience Henrietta’s words and delve into a world of queer, disabled intimacy. This work is part of our Deepen* series exploring queerness and disability during Pride month. This is our first visual work, keep an eye out for our second work with poet Ruby Solly.

Video description: Soft romantic music plays. We see Henrietta a nonbinary, white person, with short dark hair and soulful eyes as they lay in bed. State of undress. Air of comfort as they look out. We see them in their wheelchair. Henrietta touching another person as they each trace their tattoos. One tattoo has a drawing of a cup and reads ‘crip time.’ They unbutton and undress each other. Smiling, laughing and intimate. They stare into each other's eyes. Images of Henrietta's house and a sign reads 'Disabled People for Black Lives Matter' next to a poster of a march with signs ‘love is love.’ Henrietta and Emma are in bed, touching hair, looking into each other's eyes. Henrietta is alone in the bed, it feels as if Emma has just got out of the bed and Herietta is looking out to her, before they smile and laugh.

Image description: A hand is bent over a wheelchair arm rest. A person is seated in the wheelchair and wears a blue shirt.

Definition

My body -
spine curving me over
curling me inward like a frond

a contrast to your bodies’ steady lines:
back
neck

Tonight, I am in awe as I watch you move
with ease I could find ordinary
with ease unfamiliar to me

I slip sideways while reaching for metaphors of pride
and find shoulders pulled back
and heads held high

Words from a world
that cannot decide if I am
more than this body or less

I weigh the skill of sitting upright
against

indecision
that is not mine
that I have not invited in

You kiss me honestly
tonight - tonight - tonight with no other promise

another day friends raise fists together as we ask this world
to name us, to know us by our own definition

Tonight my asymmetry can settle comfortably
into the pauses, the breaths between thoughts
and rest there

Image description: Henrietta touching another person's back with their hand.

Creative team

Words: Henrietta Bollinger
Featuring: Henrietta Bollinger and Emma Katene
Producer/Curator: Pelenakeke Brown
Camera/Edit: Julie Zhu
Soundie: Lachlan Crane
Project Coordinator: Beth Awatere
Support workers: Elsie Bollinger and Jas Brooks
Made possible with support from The D*List and Auckland Pride