Queering remembrance: Art, performance and the memorialisation of queer history
Leo Oliver Kirk
Tickets: https://ticketpass.org/event/EFYHKR/the-convivial-x-leo-oliver-kirk
Queerness exists as an insistence that there is community to be found in deviance. It does not abide by societal standards – it is existence forged through joy and community, through collective action. Queerness is powerful, and to those who fear it, it is dangerous. This fear has been demonstrated throughout history by much of the ruling class repeatedly working to wipe queer people from existence. Therefore, queerness adapts. In this talk, we will explore memorialisation through documentation, fighting for the memories of those lost. Art, in all its undefinable glory, lends itself to this. Art can speak without words, connecting people across borders, speaking truths that could be silenced if audible. Therefore queer anger is channelled into art – people laying in streets in mass graves of the still-living or sewing together names of their loved ones into a quilt now too vast to display in its entirety. Through art, in its many undefinable forms, queerness persists.
In this first session of The Convivial’s summer series, queer artist & performer Leo Oliver Kirk discusses the importance of ‘queering’ as a concept; what it means to integrate queer theory into everyday life, and the influence this has on our practices. With specific reference to the AIDS crisis and the art activism surrounding it, Leo questions the cyclical nature of our histories, and the unique ways through which art can memorialise and remember.
Speaker
Leo is a queer multidisciplinary artist, creating works that focus on what it means to exist as a queer & trans person. He comes from a background in theatre and performance - in which he’s currently finishing his Bachelor’s degree - but is developing a budding interest in a wider range of practices, particularly in the realms of visual art & textiles. Leo’s work is frequently autobiographical, analysing how we relate to our past and the emotions and rituals that make us human. Recent work includes his final degree show, transhood, which explored the experience of growing up trans and how we relate to who we used to be.
Leo also works within the local community, as the co-founder of Falmouth Trans Collective and a member of the organising committee for Trans Pride Falmouth.
You can find more about him & his work on Instagram: @leooliverkirk
What to expect
6pm - arrive
6.30pm - talk begins
7.30pm - dinner (vegan) is served
8 - 9.30pm - Q&A/discussion, drinks, socialising
This event is BYOB - please bring along a drink to have yourself and/or to share! There is a SPAR shop just a few meters up the road. There will be a selection of soft drinks available at a low cost.
Tickets
Please refer to the following suggestions to choose your donation amount:
No income: £1
Low income: £5
Medium income: £10
High income: £15
Supporter ticket: £20
All tickets include a vegan meal.