Serving

Documentary of the Swiss Ballroom scene

SERVING" is a photographic documentary project about the ballroom scene in Switzerland (LGBTQIA+ underground culture created by black people in reaction to the predominantly white beauty and fashion competitions).
I discovered ballroom a few years ago without getting involved in it, but quite quickly, and also as a queer person, I wanted to do something with it. It was when I met Zion, a member of the Lausanne collective 4311, which organises queer balls and evenings, that everything developed. After talking to him, I first offered to help out as a photographer to document the events. By taking part in them, I realised that this was still a young scene in Switzerland and couldn't have been going on for more than 3 years. It's been much more active since 2021, thanks in particular to the 4311 collective, and is gaining members by the day. It was in the midst of this effervescence and exchange that the desire to develop a photographic series around this scene and its players became obvious to me.
As a queer person myself, I know how important it is to represent people of all identities, races and genders. Something that I don't think happens enough in Switzerland and something that I can and want to play a part in. To document and highlight the people who work for the stage in Switzerland.