Zackary Drucker

Setting the stage. 5 East 73rd Street is a dilapidated alcove apartment in upper-Manhattan--a crowded, unwieldy space filled with the rich, feverish history of famous drag queen, Mother Flawless Sabrina. Known as Jack to those close to him, Jack has lived in the same apartment for more than forty years. In striking contrast to the manicured dwellings that mark the Upper East Side, Jack’s place fiercely pronounces his rejection of conformity. I have been working collaboratively with Jack over the past two years, both photographically and in real-life, weaving a fluid, parallel text of our lives. Navigating the real and the unconscious, oscillating between documentary and myth narrative, the view is an altogether novel exploration of trans-identity that attempts to subvert traditional documentary and often exploitative methods of representation.

Jack hit the drag scene in the late 1950s and quickly became a powerhouse entrepreneur, annually organizing up to 46 drag balls in different parts of the country. “The Nationals” was the end of the year finale held in New York City. “The Queen,” a 1967 documentary that features Jack as a twenty-something MC and producer running “The Nationals,” reveals 5 East 73rd Street in the late 1950s and quickly became a powerhouse entrepreneur, annually organizing up to 46 drag balls in different parts of the country. “The Nationals” was the end of the year finale held in New York City. “The Queen,” a 1967 documentary that features Jack as a twenty-something MC and producer running “The Nationals,” reveals 5 East 73rd Street in its glory days, a bustling