Main image by James Asher.
Southampton’s ‘a space’ arts presents Everyone Involved, a major new commission by acclaimed London-based artist Ian Giles, which launched on the 23rd of August at the historic God’s House Tower in Southampton.
Ian Giles enlivens queer archives by collaborating with LGBTQIA+ pioneers to amplify their achievements and legacies. This immersive installation and film features A Gay Song, which is heralded as the first LGBTQIA+ protest song recorded onto vinyl in 1972.
Ian has reformed the original band to re-record the song 52 years after its inception; this act of reunion is a cross generational gesture of thanks and an example of the living legacy of the gay liberation movement in the UK. This commission marks a significant step in increasing the visibility of his moving-image work beyond his existing networks, reaching new audiences, curators, and exhibition opportunities. ‘Everyone Involved’ will be Ian second piece to enter a public art collection in the UK, signifying a major milestone in his career.
The song at the centre of the film speaks of self-love and celebrates being gay as part of nature’s diversity. Having been recorded only 5 years after the partial decriminalisation of sex between men was passed in England in 1967, it encapsulates the spirit of the early gay rights movement which promoted the mantra that ‘Gay is Good’ in counterbalance to centuries of oppression. The song was written by Alan Wakeman and Michael Klein and was originally performed in Soho in a studio used to record foreign language teaching tools. A Gay Song formed part of an album made by Everyone Involved which included environmental and human rights songs – a thousand copies of the album were given out for free and some buried in a time capsule in Brazil.
Ian chose to work with the song for this Southampton commission as a nod to the ethos of the 1976 conference for the Campaign for Homosexual Equality that was held at Southampton Town Hall, welcomed by the City Council after other councils refused. A special train was chartered from Waterloo to allow delegates to attend this landmark gathering.
The film of the band’s 2024 performance at RAK Studios is shown alongside monumental wall hangings made by Giles from vintage fabrics and found textiles. He has hand painted archival cartoons on to the fabrics which highlight the joyful creativity of the gay rights movement. A carpeted conversation pit fosters a communal space for viewers to sit together to watch the film and will be a space for workshops and gatherings throughout the exhibition. The work will also include reproductions of posters and tickets from the CHE conference, sourced from the Southampton archives and the Bishopsgate Institute.
Following its exhibition at GHT the work will enter the collection of Southampton City Art Gallery to help further preserve this important piece of LGBTQIA+ creativity.
This commission would not have been possible without the invaluable support and funding of Arts Council England, ArtFund, Friends of Southampton’s Museums, Archives and Galleries (FoSMAG) and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).
Sitting alongside Ian’s commission will be a contextual heritage exhibition that will occupy the Barker Mill Project Space in GHT until 27th October 2024 titled Southamptons Queer Stories. This exhibition presents significant moments in Southampton’s LGBTQIA+ history from the 1970’s onwards. Compiled by Rachel Roberts and ‘a space’ arts Curator & Programme Manager Mia Delve, it will build upon research by Alexandra Lyons and Joanne Smith at Southampton City Archives.
Extracts from newspapers and pamphlets are exhibited alongside video clips of local news reports and more personal oral histories and photographs. Southampton’s Queer Stories will not only celebrate the queer history of Southampton and the hard-won fight for LGBTQIA+ rights, but will also preserve the legacy of queer people in the area by forming a new collection to be deposited in the City Council’s Museum and Archive collection.
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