USA, 1992. George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton are candidates for the presidential elections. Along with Eileen Myles, who identified at the time as an openly lesbian, working-class cis woman.

Eileen Myles aimed to denounce the flagrant lack of diversity on the political landscape, inspiring Zoe Leonard, an artist and photographer, to write a poem, I Want a President, expressing her desire to have a president who embodied the diversity of experiences and struggles of marginalized people. Nearly forty years after its publication, the poem is as relevant as ever, especially with regard to the rights of LGBTQIA+ folks, access to healthcare and social injustice. H·Alix Sanyas, with the Bye Bye Binary collective, has updated the poem and made several works out of it for exhibition at Le Nouveau Printemps, primarily with a
video installation, JE VEUX YN PRÉSIDOL.

While the use of gender-inclusive language has provoked controversy in government and with the Académie Française, BBB’s collective of typographers has created new characters to represent people who do not identify as either of the two official genders. The film goes beyond the debate to focus on the acknowledgement of the stories of trans, queer and non-binary people and bodies. By graphically transforming the language, they give people who do not identify with established written forms the possibility to make themselves heard and read.

This ensemble video is performed by members of Bye Bye Binary.

JE VEUX YN PRÉSIDOL – photogram, Victor Zelbo & H·Alix Sanyas,
2024, Camille Circlude of BBB

The film gives a reading of Zoe Leonard’s poem, enhanced with contemporary demands: JE VEUX YN PRÉSIDOL is a stepping stone in a creative documentary project by BYE BYE BINARY & LA DRAMMAIRE FRANÇAISE.

Produced by Le Nouveau Printemps, Station Gare des Mines and 6b.
With the support of La Fondation des Artistes.

IN CONNECTION :

A followup to this installation is presented in the lobby of Université Toulouse Capitole and displayed on JCDecaux billboards along the itinerary.