PACE TAYLOR

These works exist within the uncertain outlines of publicly-private queer nightlife spaces; neo-noir scenes of deep shadow, observation, and alienation, where people go to desire and to be desired.

I looked to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, a film about a detective who falls in love with a woman who does not exist, as a grounding device for this body of work. Hitchcock, for all of his many flaws, created a film that reflects upon and deconstructs his controlling nature and desire to mold women to his ideals. These qualities of perfectionism and control are rife in queer spaces, where watching and being watched underpins any night out. I’ve found myself participating in this desirability dance, leaning into an idealized version of myself; one removed from a lifetime of slow rejections, at least for one night. At times, that version of myself has permeated into relationships, and I’ve willed myself to become another person, only to find myself lost. Fear of rejection is as important as the desire to be desired, though these two impulses are at odds with one another. In Dancing, there is no murder mystery or thrilling conclusion, just questions:
“What made me this way?”
“What made you this way?”
“How may we meet each other honestly?”

-Pace Taylor