214 Trans4m

When transgender models strike poses beside landmarks in Texas’ most conservative Metroplex, the results can be exquisitely photogenic yet ideologically conflicting. But the creative team of Daniel Kusner and Brian Amann hasn’t shied away from the challenge. “214 Trans4m,” is a collaborative a photo series that aims to capture Dallas’ history, architecture and stereotypes, all while straddling the invisible divide that separates the feminine and masculine. Kusner and Amann construct each image as if they’re producing a small movie. Each project involves casting characters, choosing wardrobe, scouting locations, styling and building props.

Some regard Dallas (now that George and Laura Bush are our neighbors) as the Lone Star State’s cradle for reactionaries and traditionalists. Where men are men, and women are women. But Big D is too big to surrender to such narrow definitions. Like places of interest for the average visiting tourist, “214 Trans4m” invites Dallasites to look at their own city — but in a different light.

Some images from the Kusner+Amann portfolio include:

“Dallas in Wonderland” featuring local drag artist Jenna Skyy becomes Lewis Carroll’s “Alice,” kneeling beside the painted X on Elm Street and pointing toward the Texas Schoolbook Depository. True to her character, “Alice” incorporates mathematics to gauge the magic bullet’s path on the spot where a commander-in-chief’s head was ripped apart by a sniper.

“Breakfast at Neiman’s” features doe-eyed goddess Chaselyn Wade becomes a modern version of “Holly Golightly,” a down-at-heel party gal who can taste an unsullied life while gazing into a downtown window display of Dallas' poshest retailer.

“Callas in Dallas,” features trans showgirl Erica Andrews emulating Maria Callas reenacting the day that the New York Metropolitan Opera fired, who then gave the performance of a lifetime as Medea at the State Fair Music Hall

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