Queen City Special manifests as a model train track moving between exhibition walls. Figurines of contemporary and historical characters reproduced in miniature—movement leaders, advocates, sages and witches who spell-cast through policy and poetry. The status of the icon as an embodiment of what is holy, iconized, and praised is reconstituted— and in particular, individuals marginalized by society are explored through a contemporary queer lens. Silverman considers the train’s movement as an incantation, reflecting a kind of “time out of time” as its closed loop brings forth its riders repeatedly, while prayers are spoken and idols are duplicated. In the loop, intersecting political histories and symbols of power are connected in an eternal flow, urging the viewer to think about the potential communication and solidarity between agents of change across time, history, and place.
The riders are: Emma Goldman (anarchist political activist and writer), Ceyenne Doroshow (author, activist, and founder of G.L.I.T.S), JD Samson (musician, producer, songwriter), CA Conrad (author, poet and diviner), Rona Sugar Love (survivor and advocate for Housing Works), Madeline Gins (poet, philosopher and experimental architect). In this latest iteration, Cecilia Gentili replaces liberal politician Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Saint Cecilia, multi-hyphenate and advocate for transgender, sex worker, and HIV/AIDS rights, embodies the fierce, mothering spirit of joyous subversion to break the spell of complacency.
Queen City Special manifests as a model train track moving between exhibition walls. Figurines of contemporary and historical characters reproduced in miniature—movement leaders, advocates, sages and witches who spell-cast through policy and poetry. The status of the icon as an embodiment of what is holy, iconized, and praised is reconstituted— and in particular, individuals marginalized by society are explored through a contemporary queer lens. Silverman considers the train’s movement as an incantation, reflecting a kind of “time out of time” as its closed loop brings forth its riders repeatedly, while prayers are spoken and idols are duplicated. In the loop, intersecting political histories and symbols of power are connected in an eternal flow, urging the viewer to think about the potential communication and solidarity between agents of change across time, history, and place.
The riders are: Emma Goldman (anarchist political activist and writer), Ceyenne Doroshow (author, activist, and founder of G.L.I.T.S), JD Samson (musician, producer, songwriter), CA Conrad (author, poet and diviner), Rona Sugar Love (survivor and advocate for Housing Works), Madeline Gins (poet, philosopher and experimental architect). In this latest iteration, Cecilia Gentili replaces liberal politician Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Saint Cecilia, multi-hyphenate and advocate for transgender, sex worker, and HIV/AIDS rights, embodies the fierce, mothering spirit of joyous subversion to break the spell of complacency.