We are excited to be in the process of building our first constellations of collaborators around our first Hub: Digital Imaging. While representation alone should not be a final goal of NDN temporalities, media can provide an initial imaginary for NDN futures, one grounded in processes of communal- and self-transformation, defined through accessible modes of expression, and devised through collaborative methods. Representation in digital visual cultures will be the foundations of the Lab’s early research disseminations wherein we will collaborate with with filmmakers, artists, and curators to produce digital visual cultures that represent diverse and contemporary Two-Spirit and Indigenous queer and trans peoples through media initiatives.

The first Digital Imaging initiative is Kin, a web series generously funded by ImagineNative and APTN and directed by Cree- Métis director and artist Thirza Cuthand and Métis director Justin Ducharme. The first season will air on the APTN streaming service. The Lab will be home to a production collective that will work towards increased representation of Indigenous queer, trans, and Two-Spirit peoples in media through Kin and future projects.

The second Digital Imaging initiative is @IndigiTikTok, a TikTok channel by and for Indigenous youth, developed by Dene community researcher and University of Denver Ph.D. student Charlie Amáyá Scott. If you haven’t read the charter for the platform yet, you can read it here. Channel takeovers will happen bi-weekly, so take the opportunity to follow now! If you’d like to keep up with what we will be working on over the next several years, also follow our Instagram (@idh_rucdh) and Twitter account (@idh_rucdh).

For more information, read our announcement of the Kin web series and read the IndigiTikTok charter.