About

"Queer histories continue to be repressed, denied and erased. Through research and practice, this project investigates the processes of cultural memorialisation within UK LGBTQ+ communities: the creation, collection, preservation and distribution of LGBTQ+ personal histories and stories of identity in Small Art and community-based participatory artistic initiatives. Small Art, as defined by Gretchen Felker-Martin[1], are visio-verbal artworks - such as zines - made by individuals typically from marginalised identities/counter cultures, employing ‘low-fi’ methods of creation and reproduction, for intracommunal audiences. There is a rich tradition of queer community history projects[2][3][4][5][6] but a disconnect between younger generations and their community’s histories, evincing the complex relationship between community memory and perseverance in the face of historic bigotry[7] and rising homophobia/transphobia in the UK[7].  

An exploration of how a community creates art and how art creates community, this project combines three approaches: historical, visual and archival research of Small Art with artistic practice and a programme of craft-making workshops, where participants are taught to and encouraged to create Small Art. Situated within the fields of queer and museum studies, focusing into artistic archival methodologies and visio-verbal cultures within queer phenomenology, community memory and narratives this project will articulate how LGBTQ+ communities create, communicate and then access past, present and future knowledge and narratives by defining Small Art’s role in these processes. Existing within the ‘life-cycle’ of Small Art - its creation, collection and preservation – my trans-disciplinary approach actively participates within this cycle; my artistic practice a subject of research, a method of conducting research and the format with which to hand this knowledge forward to my community. Novel contributions to knowledge and understanding in queer artistic and archival methodologies will be made by creating a reflexive framework to conduct participatory artistic activations to empower inter-community connection, LGBTQ+ wellbeing and record LGBTQ+ stories."