Making Paper Wings and Accessories / Trans Pride Brighton 2020

From my queer quills winged chair, and adorned with a paper tie and lapels made of the same, I gave a guided tour of my music for Breaking the Spell of the Armada Portraits (Bird la Bird, 2020), before a public premiere of my music video Take Me Back to the Ocean.

Skip straight to my performance here. I would encourage you to check out the other artists and speakers as well. There is so much to enjoy..

Paper by Shaven Raven Designs
To get this paper and see other stunning designs, visit Shaven Raven Designs’ shop. Items are also available from their Etsy shop.

With so much transphobia and bigotry in general, it was a pleasure and a privilege to be able to take part in Trans Pride Brighton 2020 and send out positive vibes to other trans folx and allies. Not to ignore the harm and violence that is happening but to strengthen ourselves to continue surviving and fighting. Even though it was an online event, at least some of the emotions of attending arose on hearing speakers, performers and interviews with attendees and organisers over the years. Subira Joy and Mzz Kimberley were our wonderful comperes and they said some lovely things about my performance as well as inviting viewers to donate so performers could get paid - which I really appreciate!

Here are some more photos from my creative process.

I made the sign, “Make Space for Homeless Queers” for The Outside Project who have taken enormous steps to give both practical and emotional help to LGBTIQ+ people who are homeless and to other LGBTIQ+ people who need support. They set up an LGBTIQ+ Covid support group, and it was on there that I found out about an online writing workshop run by the writer Tasha Bell for about 4 weeks in a row which was a nourishing, creative escape.

ABOUT THIS SIGN: Together with many others, I made this sign to help The Outside Project (the UK’s first LGBTIQ+ community centre and homelessness shelter) raise awareness about LGBTIQ+ homelessness. Depending on one’s personal circumstances, the pr… — ABOUT THIS SIGN: Together with many others, I made this sign to help The Outside Project (the UK’s first LGBTIQ+ community centre and homelessness shelter) raise awareness about LGBTIQ+ homelessness. Depending on one’s personal circumstances, the proximity to homelessness or not is a privilege. However, when you consider that many LGBTQI+ people face hostility, rejection and even danger in their home environment, actually all LGBTIQ+ people are at greater risk of homelessness than cishet people. As an LGBTIQ+ person with a home, this matter is made more complex with shiftingly difficult family circumstances, however for now, I am glad to have a physical home and trying to make it a spiritual one.

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decoloniseeducation, performance, songwriting, artThe Mollusc Dimension21 July 2020