When approaching a new project, I often free associate with themes and characters before committing to anything. Eventually a story and structure takes on its own life and I try to guide it.
I was going through a transformation internally at the time of writing Xy, in regards to my own femininity. And by default, my masculinity counteracted. The images and themes that came up were those of male and female at their most basic level… x and y.
When combining these themes with the limitations of the camera required for this project, I was excited to play with the mother’s point of view and use the camera as narrator and eavesdropper. It allowed a natural insight into the frustration of being forced to choose something that is intangible … a sexual identity. It also allowed me to peek into a dysfunctional mother-child relationship in a unique way.
I enjoy stories that promote the idea that, the axis point between polar opposites is the place from which unity can be found.
It is that unity that is the difficult place to define, keep constant and make tangible. I hope this story about Xy does that at least a little.
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About Darby Bailey: Voluntarily removed from parochial school in the 4th grade over sexual content in a book she was publishing for friends, Darby Bailey eventually went from downtown Salt Lake City to Santa Cruz to L.A., where she is pursing her B.A. degree at Antioch University. When she’s not writing, Darby makes a living as a voice over artist, actress and musician. She is a proud resident of downtown Los Angeles and supports it’s revitalization.
