Official Selection The History of the Carabiner Commercial Work: Cultural Impact

CLIENT/BRANDNIKON

PRODUCTION COMPANYWATERBEAR NETWORK

DIRECTOR(S)GIANNA MAZZEO

PRODUCER(S)ALEXIA LAFEUILLE

AGENCY-

DOPGIANNA MAZZEO

INSTAGRAM TAG @GIANNA_PIZZZA

SHORT SYNOPSIS A TONGUE-IN-CHEEK, HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY / FASHION FILM HYBRID THAT TAKES VIEWERS ON A JOURNEY THROUGH QUEER HISTORY TO TRACE THE ORIGINS OF THE CARABINER AS A LESBIAN SYMBOL.

THE CARABINER IS SOMEWHAT OF A UNIVERSAL SYMBOL FOR LESBIANS AND QUEER PEOPLE ACROSS THE GLOBE. IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW ABOUT IT, YOU'LL START TO SEE IT EVERYWHERE NOW - I PROMISE.

AS WE ALL KNOW, QUEER HISTORY HASN'T BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED AND IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED, SO I WANTED TO CREATE A VIDEO WORK THAT ENSHRINES THE CARABINER AS AN IMPORTANT FLAG OF SELF-EXPRESSION AND COMMUNITY. THE DOCUMENTARY ENCOMPASSES MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AS A QUEER PERSON; SPOKEN STORIES I'VE COME ACROSS FROM OLDER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY; AS WELL AS SOME ARCHIVAL RESEARCH I'VE CONDUCTED INTO THE HISTORY OF HOW THIS 'SILLY LITTLE PIECE OF METAL' CAME TO BE SUCH A UNITING AND SYMBOLIC ACCESSORY FOR THE LGBTQIA+ COMMUNITY. I HOPE THAT THIS WORK IS FUN AND RELATABLE FOR QUEER AND LESBIAN PEOPLE, BUT ALSO AN INFORMATIVE AUDIO-VISUAL DOCUMENTATION THAT ACTS AS A TANGIBLE REFERENCE OF QUEER HISTORY THAT EXCEEDS THE SPOKEN-WORD HISTORY THAT WE HAVE COME TO NORMALISE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY.