The fluidity or transmutability of borders held in the lived body of trans and non-binary bodies. In The Phenomenology of Blood in Performance Art

This chapter critically examines the lived experience of trans+ bodies through the framework of queer phenomenology, emphasizing the fluid and transmutable nature of identity as it relates to borders—both physical and conceptual. Bacon argues that trans and non-binary identities are perceived as threats to cultural hegemonies that enforce rigid gender binaries, positioning these bodies as sites of resistance against normative structures of power. By situating trans+ embodiment within broader socio-political discourses on exclusion, othering, and systemic violence, the chapter highlights the ways in which contemporary culture wars seek to invalidate trans+ existence through epistemic violence, moral panic, and right-wing political rhetoric.
Drawing on the works of trans and non-binary artists, including S. J. Norman, Niya B., Greta Sharp, and Rufus Elliot, Bacon explores how performance and visual art practices disrupt hegemonic perceptions of gender and identity. Norman’s Take This, For It Is My Body (2017) reclaims colonial narratives by using his own blood in a radical inversion of Anglo-colonial afternoon tea traditions, exposing the intersections of indigenous identity, trans+ embodiment, and systemic oppression. Similarly, Niya B.’s 912 (2022) immerses audiences in the lived experiences of trans and non-binary individuals through virtual reality, creating a phenomenological shift that challenges normative perceptions of gender.
The chapter also engages with Heidegger’s "The Origin of the Work of Art", marking a further milestone in Bacon’s reclaiming of its phenomenological framework from its fascist underpinnings to affirm the authenticity of queer, trans, and non-binary artistic expression. By queering phenomenology, Bacon argues that trans and non-binary bodies, often perceived as “monstrous” disruptions to the status quo, in fact serve as catalysts for reimagining authenticity, identity, and artistic ontology. Blood—both literal and metaphorical—functions as a key material in this disruption, symbolizing the violence of exclusionary citizenship while also serving as a medium of reclamation, collective survival, and radical visibility.