Jude Wolff Ackroyd
Jude Wolff Ackroyd, Not A She, 2019. 2D Animation. 3 min 18 sec. Courtesy of the artist.
“This animated piece was directly inspired by a poem I wrote several years ago after being diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). I had been struggling ever since I began menstruating with its symptoms (unbearable pain, heavy bleeding, unpredictable cycles and even shock), but my suffering was dismissed for years before I received a proper diagnosis. While I was thankful to have answers, the experience navigating the reproductive health world was highly gendered and left me feeling angry. I wasn’t a woman, and yet I was forced to occupy the space of womanhood in order to seek proper healthcare. Initially I directed this despair at my body, until I realized that it was doing nothing wrong. This film and the poem that inspired it explores my changing relationship to my body and how it felt reconstructing my identity after being denied it in pursuit of relief.”
Jude Wolff Ackroyd (he/they): I am a transmasculine and queer artist born and raised as a settler on the unceded territories of the W̱SÁNEĆ and lək̓ʷəŋən-speaking people (specifically the territories of the Malahat and Tsartlip nations) . I have been a practicing artist and writer my entire life, focusing mainly on acrylic painting, 2D animation and fantasy fiction. I currently attend the University of Victoria while pursuing jobs in the realm of museums and science centers. While my work is diverse in representation, my focus revolves around concepts of liminality and transformation, often exploring the lines between what is understood and what is turbulent or uncontrollable. This relates directly to my passion for the horror genre and experiences as a transgender person navigating my own transformation and societal resistance to my bodily autonomy.
Website: https://www.judewolffackroyd.com