Billy's Baseball Hall of Fame
Title
Billy's Baseball Hall of Fame
Description
Ingrid Matison identifies as a white, nonbinary artist who currently resides in Providence. They grew up in a working class family in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Ingrid is currently a student at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where their primary focus is on textiles. For Ingrid, “Billy’s Baseball Hall of Fame” deals with space, reality, gender, and dissociation: “I have a lot of trouble dissociating from my surroundings and something I find comforting in my work is creating a false environment. What’s not real about that?” Ingrid goes on to explain that one of the references for this piece is the red room in the popular TV series “Twin Peaks” which is not a physical space but still real. “What’s not real about fake things?” they ask me, again. The realness of many concepts, including gender, become complicated as we question how and why these structures are in place. Gender is a known social construct, making it in some sense “fake” but still very real in other ways. This nuance, and search for truth and value are explored in “Billy’s Baseball Hall of Fame.” For example, Ingrid’s use of the white gloves symbolizes the fragility and perceived importance of the baseball cards. The idea that white masculinity is fragile and must be protected (by card sleeves, white gloves etc) is a “real” idea but with “fake” or unsound logic.
For Ingrid, making work as a femme nonbinary person in the art world is inherently political. They explain to me that they aren’t creating work about being trans, or even directly related to trans experiences but the representation of a trans artist making work about their everyday life is just as important and just as political. Ingrid and I agree that it’s equally important to represent work by trans artists that is not directly related to being trans, because it’s going to represent trans culture just because it’s made by someone in the trans community. This is also part of the reason that we chose “Billy’s Baseball Hall of Fame” to put in the archive. A viewer could see the film without any indication of trans identity or gender play, but if you are looking they are of course there because they are part of the artist’s identity. Ingrid Matison created the set and props while also acting as director, producer, and actor. The materials used on set in this film include hand dyed and printed muslin, hand printed Tyvek, and vinyl flooring.
For Ingrid, making work as a femme nonbinary person in the art world is inherently political. They explain to me that they aren’t creating work about being trans, or even directly related to trans experiences but the representation of a trans artist making work about their everyday life is just as important and just as political. Ingrid and I agree that it’s equally important to represent work by trans artists that is not directly related to being trans, because it’s going to represent trans culture just because it’s made by someone in the trans community. This is also part of the reason that we chose “Billy’s Baseball Hall of Fame” to put in the archive. A viewer could see the film without any indication of trans identity or gender play, but if you are looking they are of course there because they are part of the artist’s identity. Ingrid Matison created the set and props while also acting as director, producer, and actor. The materials used on set in this film include hand dyed and printed muslin, hand printed Tyvek, and vinyl flooring.
Creator
Matison, Ingrid
Source
Date
November, 2017
Format
1,920 x 1,080
12 GB
The physical materials include hand dyed and printed muslin, hand printed Tyvek, and vinyl flooring.
12 GB
The physical materials include hand dyed and printed muslin, hand printed Tyvek, and vinyl flooring.
Language
English
Type
Video
Transcription
Soundtrack: live commentary of a baseball game
Original Format
Video
Duration
1:40
Producer
Matison, Ingrid
Director
Matison, Ingrid
Citation
Matison, Ingrid, “Billy's Baseball Hall of Fame,” An Archive of Trans Culture, accessed October 28, 2026, https://transcultural.oberlincollegelibrary.org/items/show/5.