What role do you think craft has played in the Pride movement over the past 50 years?
Daniel Fountain: Craft has played a really central part, but this is often unexplored and overlooked. For me, the role of craft in Pride is in the material cultures of activism and protest. If you think about the banners, the badges, the manifestos, the zines, the handmade T-shirts – all these objects are crafted. They are often created collaboratively when people meet up before a demonstration, so the act of crafting helps facilitate conversation alongside the radical action itself.
Al Hill: I agree, it’s vital – whether as a way to be recognised by other LGBTQIA+ people or to make a statement. That’s what I like about our workshops at Crafts Council Gallery: the discussions around queerness that arise will be just as important as the making itself. What’s the aesthetic? What’s the movement’s aims?
Jacob V Joyce: In the UK, the movement is very DIY. Everything emanates from the creative energy of people challenging power. Lots of the London- based queer activism over the last two decades has been attempting to move away from Pride (or 'Pride in London' as it’s now officially called), because it is a corporate event with no connection to the The Gay Liberation Front who originally founded Pride. This year, many longstanding LGBTQIA+ charities have chosen to distance themselves from the event.
DF: Yes, we're now seeing much more commercial ‘rainbow washing’. People may be familiar with the statement clothing and banners, but less familiar with the queer histories behind them.
Liaqat Rasul: It’s interesting how the pendulum has swung: from the flag being used for social coding in the 70s and 80s, to becoming a symbol that brands appropriate just to seem gay-friendly. Before I came out, I was actually quite fearful of the rainbow. I can’t help but associate flags with football teams and machismo.
I don't think there has been enough gay or Pride-specific art in the last 50 years. My references today are still the likes of Gilbert & George and a film called My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) – that movie was the first time I saw a gay kiss. I’m Welsh Pakistani, and seeing another Pakistani guy fall in love with a white thug on screen was really powerful.