LONDON/LONDRA is a curated weekend of FREE creative workshops and events exploring queer and migrant experience in London, hosted by Undone Theatre at Queercircle on 21-22 January 2023. LONDON/LONDRA is a provocation to reimagine urban life, belonging, and ideas of the ‘local’ by centring queer/migrant histories and experiences.
All events across the weekend are led by established queer and/or migrant artists and activists across creative disciplines. The full programme includes the following workshops and events (full description of each event at the bottom of the page):
SATURDAY - JANUARY 21
11:00AM - QUEER/MIGRANT STORYTELLING WORKSHOP, led by Gabriele Uboldi
2:00PM - 'HOW BONA TO VADA YOUR DOLLY OLD EEK!' POLARI WORKSHOP, led by Dan de la Motte
4:00PM - TALK WITH 1970s GAY LIBERATION FRONT, with Stuart Feather, Julian Hows, Dan de la Motte and Gabriele Uboldi
SUNDAY - JANUARY 22
11:00AM - TRANS-ING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT WORKSHOP, led by Cameron Carrington
2:00PM - ARCHIVAL FUTURES TRANSLATION PARTY, led by Mother Tongues Collective
4:00PM - QUEER/MIGRANT OPEN MIC
All events are free but please register for each event you plan to attend by booking a free ticket below so that we can keep track of numbers.
Besides the in-person events at Queercircle, LONDON/LONDRA will include a cross-disciplinary zine made up of contributions by queer/migrant artists, as well as three audio conversations with leading artists and activists engaging with what it means to be queer/migrant in London.
We are really keen to engage with the queer and migrant communities but everyone is welcome to any event regardless of their background.
QUEER/MIGRANT STORYTELLING WORKSHOP
Theatremaker Gabriele Uboldi will provide you with the storytelling and creative writing tools you need to explore your relationship to the city. Workshop participants will pick locations that are significant to their personal histories on a physical map of London and write a short story or performance inspired by their chosen London site.
'HOW BONA TO VADA YOUR DOLLY OLD EEK!' - POLARI WORKSHOP
In the decades before decriminalisation, gay men spoke ‘Polari’ - a secret gay slang which was a patchwork language of Italian, Romany, Yiddish, Cockney Rhyming Slang, backslang and acronyms. By speaking Polari gay men could ‘hide in plain sight’ - socialising, cottaging and cruising without fear of arrest or attack. Polari is a playful, mischievous and sexy language, but also one that was spoken out of necessity. In this workshop learn the ‘rules’ of the language, decipher words and phrases, and make up your own sentences and mini-scenes for others to work out.
Dan de la Motte is a performer, curator, producer, host and tour-guide specialising in queer comedic performance and heritage. Recent visual and performance art work includes: Live To Tell: (A Proposal For) The Madonna Jukebox Musical; GLF AT 50: THE ART OF PROTEST; Carry on Cottaging (with Jonny Woo); World Pride Copenhagen, On Railton Road.
TALK WITH 1970s GAY LIBERATION FRONT
London Gay Liberation Front (GLF) founding members Stuart Feather and Julian Hows join Dan de la Motte and Gabriele Uboldi in a conversation about London’s history of queer liberation. They will recount their first-hand experiences from the 1970s, touching on the international connections of the GLF and the contributions of migrant activists.
TRANS-ING THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT WORKSHOP
The participatory workshop, Trans-ing the Built Environment, will address the visualisation of queer spaces in the built environment through the de-construction and re-construction of future imaginaries. Collage will be the methodology used to critically cut and slice images and/or representations of architectural spaces, encouraging participants to think, perform, and design what queer space means to them. Cameron will facilitate the production process using scores/instructions based on a queering manifesto he produced, which seeks to dismantle and unbuild the patriarchy.
Proposing an event on the fruition of queer space will be valuable for anyone who wants to join the discourse on queer theory, in an informative but lighthearted and playful way. The anarchist approach to the city will highlight the vital need to reflect on and address the global attack on LGBTQIA+ communities. Be prepared to be mindful, practice care and, most importantly, get collaging your queer utopias of today!
ARCHIVAL FUTURES TRANSLATION PARTY
Join us for a diy translation party exploring queer futures, speculative approaches to archival collections and embodied knowledges. Using archival materials from queer collections, we will explore the relationship between language, queerness, and the politics of space and place. During the party participants will be encouraged to select and translate extracts they find interesting followed by a group discussion.
Everybody is welcome! If you want to break language canons, collectively help with opening access to diasporic queer histories, or even if you don’t speak more than one language you are still more than welcome!
QUEER/MIGRANT OPEN MIC
10 artists from different disciplines share their own work on queerness and migration. For more info on the open mic, the kind of work we are looking for, and to apply, please visit:
https://www.undonetheatre.com/get-involved
Deadline for the application is 31/12/2022, 5pm.
Please note that events may be photographed. If you have any concerns about this please ask a member of staff on the day, or feel free to get in touch with gabriele@undonetheatre.co.uk.
LONDON/LONDRA is inspired by Gabriele Uboldi’s digital project www.london-londra.com. It’s run by Undone Theatre and curated by Gabriele Uboldi. It is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. With special thanks to Queercircle and the Barbican.
www.gabrieleuboldi.com
www.undonetheatre.com