loredana denicola
​
the theatre of the mind
... a journey in the exploration of identity, diversity, and and Inclusion through Art...
| digital photography | video -interviews | photography project 2016-ongoing |
The theatre of the mind is an artistic and social project that combines video interviews, photography, and philosophical reflections to explore the depths of human identity. Through intimate encounters with strangers met on the streets of London between 2015 and 2016, the project captures the authenticity of individuals who voluntarily choose to live outside social conventions and share their life stories. These personal narratives reveal how our experiences, beliefs, and the society we live in shape who we are and how we perceive ourselves.
​
At the heart of the project are seven video-interviews, each dedicated to a protagonist who opens up about a crucial aspect of their existence. From gender identity and crossdressing, to Islamic faith and the experience of wearing the burqa, from gender dysphoria to the creation of an alter ego, from youth violence to the voice and imagination of a seven-year-old girl, these stories take us deep into the inner world of the protagonists. The seven main videos, ranging from 25 to 50 minutes, invite the viewer to reflect on contemporary and urgent themes such as inclusion, diversity, LGBTQ+ rights, family, religion, and personal transformation.
Each encounter is unique and unfolds over the course of a single day. The relationship between the artist and the protagonist-subject is based on mutual trust and openness, allowing for an authentic exchange of words, emotions, and reflections. Spontaneity and trust are the soul of this experience, and each story becomes part of a mosaic that helps us better understand ourselves and others. The project doesn’t end with the stories filmed in London. After the first public screening of the project in Brindisi, a second phase was developed through 16 video-interviews conducted with the audience and people aged between 13 and 70. These testimonies offer a glimpse into the cultural fabric of the local community, highlighting the depth of personal reflection and the need for greater awareness and action on issues related to identity, religion, diversity, and rights. Spontaneous, sincere, and intergenerational voices expand the dialogue and root the project in a broader social context.
In addition to the video interviews (21 in total), the project also includes a photographic installation that visually reflects the emotional depth of the stories told. Photographs and videos complement each other, creating an immersive experience that brings the inner realities of the protagonists to light. The seven videos recorded in London are in English with Italian subtitles to ensure accessibility to an international audience, while the interviews recorded in Brindisi are in Italian with English subtitles, allowing even non-Italian speakers to engage with the local perspectives and cultural context.
​
The theatre of the mind aims to raise awareness on fundamental social issues while promoting intercultural and intergenerational dialogue. It is a space for listening, empathy, and critical reflection - an invitation to question how we build our identity, how society and politics influence our self-perception, and what it truly means to be authentic. By involving schools, institutions, communities, educators, and active citizens, the project encourages a shared journey of knowledge, growth, and awareness.
​
This is not just an artistic installation, but a call to action: an invitation to open ourselves to others, listen without judgment, and embrace the diversity within and around us. It challenges us to step outside our comfort zones and reflect on the roles we play in our lives.
The theatre of the mind compels us to ask: who are we really? And leaves space for voices, perspectives, and stories to offer possible answers.
​
Click here to listen to excerpts from the interviews of the 7 main videos.
The cross-dresser
​what is cross-dressing?
​
​​Nobody tried to abuse of you in there?
No, no, I had no troubles when I was in prison. No trouble at all, I felt safe.
That’s quite weird isn’t it, that you felt safe in a prison? Why do you want to dress like a woman?
Because I feel comfortable, I feel it’s me.
I don’t dress to impress other people, I dress for me and I buy what I like. I’ve had people laugh at me in the street, but I don’t mind, because I look at them laughing at me and I think - Well, I put a smile to your face!
What’s your sexual orientation?
Bisexual. I am not more on one way than the other. To be crude, I like vagina as much as I like cock. I have no preference.
I am completely bisexual.
That’s the best option I think ...
If I am with a girl I enjoy that, and if I’m with a man, I enjoy it equally.
I choose my religion, Islam
​what is Islam? what does it teach?
​
​Why do you wear a burka? Why is it black?
​In Islam it doesn’t say you have to wear black. You can wear any colour. The reason I wear it , it’s more modest, and it is a barrier between me and the outside world and the sins that are there. So if I wear it I feel like I’m shielded from the corruption of the outside world and it’s a form of modesty, so, like, men don’t see your appearance, they don’t see your figure … The only reason we wear black is out of convenience, because we can wear different colours, there is no restriction on that.
​Why hair are considered attractive in Islam, and why not feet, hands or faces?
​Faces and hair are both considered attraction because is the first thing you notice when you see a person. When you look at the face, you judge that person, you look at that person, you don’t always see the feet first, it’s the face you see first and that is why we cover our face.
MADKILLERMILLER, an unimportant person with a business card
​why are we looking for troubles?
​​
​May I ask, how was your childhood?
​It was a bit rough, from what I could remember. I can vaguely remember my real dad. Then he disappeared for some reason. My mum had multiple sclerosis, she can’t walk. It wasn’t that bad at first. My sister, she was living with her dad, a different dad to mine. So for several years it was just me and my mum, and I’m a little, and she’s disabled. So it was kind of looking after each other. And then she met one of her old flames from Ireland. My mum is Irish and she started dating him. Then she got married, so he became a stepdad. They had a kid together, my little brother, and then my stepdad turned really violent and nasty and started beating me and my mum. So I ended up in care, foster homes.
Then, I met a crowd of friends, ended up getting in legal troubles with them, like, all sort of stuff, mainly like stealing cars, then prison a few times.
​
Finally I am a woman!
​what is gender dysphoria?
​
​What is the difference between sex and gender?
​Oh, big difference. People automatically assume that your gender would determine your sexuality, and because I went from man to woman, people assume I would be interested in men. Whereas truthfully, my sexuality hasn’t changed, and I would now be classified as a ‘lesbian’.
​What is transgender and why are they called transgender?
​‘Trans’ implies switching, changing over, that’s where the trans word comes from, obviously. So, transgender - switching gender. Ninety-five per cent of the time, what it means to be transgender is the person feels that they were born with the wrong outward appearance. In my case I grew up, developing through puberty, as a boy but I never felt that I was that boy. And then I tried to live as a man. One of my partners considered that as an excuse for infidelity, because I wasn’t man enough. My answer to that one is that I never was a man.
LOUIS GREY MAGUS is my alter ego
​why do we build an alter ego?
​
One of the reasons why I turned into fetish and to being dominated — in my normal life not only was I a victim in my younger life, but also, let’s just say I wasn’t nice towards certain individuals. To be submissive and to be punished, it was a kind of a penance. I have inflicted pain so, why shouldn’t it be that I receive pain as well?
Do you enjoy pain? What does mean to be fetish?
​To be fetish … they are behaviour patterns which are not considered normal in society. Like, you don’t go to the end in the street and say, ‘Hey stay still, I am going to tie you up, and blindfold you and leave you on the side on the road’. Fetish is based on consensual behaviour between two adults who are able to reason and to fully understand the scenario. Trust and respect has to be a key element.
In the fetish and BDSM world, you need to build foundation of knowledge of one another, your boundaries, what things you’re into, things you’re not into or your pain barriers. Some can endure severe pain, whereas others can only endure a lower level. Personal safety is paramount. If a scenario is happening that goes beyond a barrier, then rather than say, ‘Stop! Stop! Stop!’, you establish a conduct code.
I am my emotions ...
​what is a performance?
​
​Is there any political, sexual message in what you do?
​I think for society in general, it is not normal what I do. But I am a ‘normal’ person. If you respect other people I don’t understand why they shouldn’t respect you. If you are not offensive towards anybody, you don’t rub your ass in anybody face, I don’t see why people would come and be offended by you. If a woman wears high heels, there is no scandal about it, what is the scandal about? It’s because the man wears high heels or they shouldn’t wear high heels? Are the high heels wrong or because a man behaves like a woman? Is dressing up like. a woman a bad thing? What is the problem? We grew up with the idea that women can wear high heels or beautiful dresses. But if a man like me does, what is the problem? Is because the dress is wrong or it is because the man is behaving like a woman? Because I am not a drag queen, some people who don’t know much about these different worlds, they don’t look at me. They are scared, they avoid me, because I look like a man, I have a beard as you can see, but I can see as well from the tail of my eye that they instead look at my back, my low back and my long legs, because I have long legs.
The imaginary dogs
​who is a child?
​
​I have an imaginary dog.
What?
Imaginary dog.
What do you mean? An imaginary dog?
Yes.
What is his name?
Buster
Is he a colourful dog? What is his colour?
He is black and white.
Does he talk? What does he say?
He speaks like humans. He says what human say.
Like what?
If I ask him something he would speak like human.
Ok tell me what do you normally ask to this dog?
‘What shall we do? Shall we talk to that person again because you have been rude to me, or we just leave her?’. And he just answers.
And what does he say? Does he give you good advice?
Yes he does.
Like what, for example?
He always changes, and has his own mind, I don’t know, I can’t read minds.
Is he with you every day?
He is right here now.
​