I constructed a guillotine-like structure that stood thirteen feet tall  and ten feet wide. From this structure there were two cement triangular weights attached  with rope and pulleys. Though the weights were of equal size and weight, one was attached with  one pulley where the other had two pulleys, thus making the latter lighter than the former. During the performance, using the rope, I lifted the single-pulley weight up and down until I could no longer physically perform the action. After a short pause, I regained composure, moved  to the second weight, put on gloves, and pulled the double-pulley weight up one time. I then tied the rope down leaving the second weight suspended in the air.

Though privilege affects us all differently, I performed this task as myself to show my own, personal transition to a place of  privilege, from a woman to a man. The effort required to lift each of the weights corresponds to  the notion of privilege in American culture. In this piece I show that privilege does not mean a  person is immune to life’s hardships, but it does mean one can have an unearned benefit or  advantage by nature of their identity. The visual and auditory aspects of my exertion from lifting  the weight could be felt by most viewers and they were able to commiserate through these effects.