Haften
Hearing the voice of the discriminated LGBTQ+ community
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The project’s goal was to create a space where LGBTQ+ individuals and those interested in LGBTQ+ rights from Poland and Portugal could exchange knowledge and, in a supportive environment, discuss the queerphobia they experience or witness daily. HAFTEN prepared two exhibitions addressing queerphobic violence and developed a communication strategy with decision-makers to whom project members wished to present their situation and views.
The exhibition featured a series of 10 black-and-white, large-format portraits taken with an analog camera. The photographs were printed on silk, and the subjects’ faces were covered with colorful embroidery embroidered with silk thread. The subjects of the photographs come from small Polish towns and villages where they faced discrimination based on their sexual orientation. Each embroidery reflects the culture of the region in which the subject was born and raised. The work was created in collaboration with local embroiderers.
The project’s title comes from the German word “haften,” meaning “to adhere,” from which the Polish verb “to embroider” is derived. This root carries an ambiguity: embroidery is both decorative and “violent”—it adheres tightly to fabric, covering it, piercing it, obscuring it, and imposing a pattern. In the “Haften” project, the handicraft practiced by small local communities serves to conceal the true identity of the photographed models, who often, to avoid ostracism, must do so by wearing a mask imposed by local culture. The decision to come out is a risk not everyone can afford.
In the exhibition, the photographs are accompanied by text describing experiences of queerphobic violence and, to counterbalance them, fragments of queer utopia—descriptions of hopeful gestures of alliance and examples of supportive individuals that can be found in smaller towns.
Photo by Bartosz Jakubowski
The project was co-organized with the Portuguese partner EduPlus, and the event was held under the patronage of the Polish Consulate in Porto and the Municipal Public Library in Radom.
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Funded by the EU. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA is responsible for them.
Project number: 2021-1-PL01-KA154-YOU-000020295, Erasmus+ KA154 Dialogue with Policymakers
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