It was my pleasure to convene Artists, Archives and A/Gender. The event, held at the Sidney Cooper Gallery, provided an opportunity to gather for an exciting and provocative day of exhibitions, performance, in-conversations and presentations. The day was prompted by Calude Cahun's exploration of identities and masking and was delivered through partnership and collaboration with UAL's Photography and the Archive Research Centre (PARC), PARC's biennial of research Moose on the Loose Festival (2017) and Canterbury Christ Church University's Centre for Research on Communities & Cultures; the Intersectional Centre for Inclusion and Social Justice (INCISE); the Centre for Practice-Based Research in the Arts, plus the Sidney Cooper Gallery in Canterbury and the South East Archive of Seaside (SEAS) Photography.
The days's schedule:
10.00am Early Arrivals
10.10am Curatorial Walk and Talk: Beneath the Mask & Latent, Dr Katie McGown (Director of the Sidney Cooper)
10.40am Arrivals & Coffee
11.00am Welcome & Introductions by Dr Karen Shepherdson (Co-Director of the Centre for Research on Communities & Cultures), Dr Katie McGown & Dr Sara Davidmann (Moose on the Loose 2017 Guest Curator / PARC)
11.10am The Photographic Techniques of Claude Cahun as Masked Artist, James Stevenson, (Director of the V&A Photographic Studio, rtd)
11.40am Latent A Hidden History: Homosexuality and the Archive,
In Conversation I – Artist Dr Sam Vale (CCCU) with Prof Stephen Maddison (UEL)
12.10pm The Blushing Pavilion, Presentation by independent artist and curator Carlos Maria Romero & Sam Causer
12.40pm LUNCH with sweet treats curated/sponsored by PARC
1.40pm Creative collaborations and bringing “Ken: To be Destroyed” into publication, Dr Sara Davidmann and Prof Val Williams (Director of PARC) in conversation with Dr Karen Shepherdson,
2.10pm Older Women Rock! Poetry as provocation and witness, Performance Poet Leah Thorn (ECPD Internation Research Fellow) with performance and interactions with the Catwalk Artists
2.45pm Fribs, Tribs and a deaf Tyre Smith: a brief history of androgyny, Prof Chris Mounsey (University of Winchester)
3.15pm Responder to the Day, Prof Bee Scherer (Director of INCISE/CCCU) Responder
3.30-4pm Close, Conversations & Slow Farewells