Bijou Stories has it roots in oral history, in the traditions of sharing stories and memories, of documenting people’s personal histories to elucidate our understanding of the past and the present and even help mark signposts to the future. Traditionally, marginalised voices have been excluded from the dominant narratives, queerwashed out of the mainstream and into the margins. As recently as the 80s there was a move to silence gay voices with the introduction of Section 28, a pernicious attempt to ‘other’ gay people.
Using oral history, found footage and queer ephemera we aim to paint a new picture of the LGBTQ+ community based on their lived experiences, memories and histories. We will be capturing and documenting these stories and inviting participants to work with LGBTQ+ artists to re-imagine them and create new artworks for exhibition and live events
The stories we collect do not need to follow a narrative arc; they can be random memories about a lost London gay pub, a song, a scene from a film that has personal resonance, a political demo, secrets of polari, a person, a cabaret performance etc. Performances may not always be a narrative but a ‘variety club’ style show that might features songs, spoken word, disco dances, quizzes, shadow puppetry, lip sync dramas, competitive challenges, desperate divas and video backdrops to amplify the stories. Performances will bring together artists and participants to create a work that is both alternative archive and unique artwork. So, a story could become a comic strip, a short film (or “bona vignette”), it could be retold by a drag queen storyteller or be transformed into a spoken word piece by the participant themselves etc.
Let your imagination explore the creative possibilities!
Since Bijou Stories began in 2020 we have been selected as part of the Borough of Culture to work with Goldsmiths University and London Borough of Lewisham to deliver, Where to Now the Sequins Have Gone? an exploration of the lost gay bars of Lewisham which resulted in a podcast and a hybrid community space and exhibition in Lewisham Shopping Centre.
We have also started work on the creation of a podcast looking at the history and impact of Gay Sweatshop.
Songbook explored the impact of popluar culture on participants and resulted in a variety show at The Albany in Deptford
Project curator Paul has previously been involved in a number of LGBTQ+ focused projects including
The Walk of Shame at Tate Britain
The Shame Show at MK Gallery
Fritz Haeg’s Sundown Schoolhouse at Hayward Gallery
Funders and Supporters:
Without these supporters this project would not have been possible so we are hugely grateful to the following:
Bijou Stories 