The Personal is Political … or is it? with David Shenton

15.06.2024 | 1 - 4 PM
22.06.2024 | 1 - 4 PM
Two workshops will take place over three-hour sessions on June 15 and June 22. 
Sign up to either or both!
 

“The personal is the political” was one of the rallying slogans of feminist activists from the 1960s onwards. Feminists argued that oppression was most noticeable in the tiny ordinary details of people’s everyday lives. Feminists and queer theorists have changed how we think about knowledge, validating personal experience as a legitimate place from where to build political movements.

In this workshop led by cartoonist and teacher David Shenton, we reflect on this slogan by using cartoons and illustration to engage with some of the ordinary, moving, funny, absurd, and painful events from our personal lives. We will then combine our stories into a tapestry, reflecting on what emerges. Can we spot some kind of collective shared experience, or is there actually a lot of disparity between our stories? Do our stories connect in any way to the broader story of queer history in Britain, or is that too much of a stretch? How do we feel about politicising our everyday lives: is it empowering, or is it intrusive and annoying? Is the personal always political and does it need to be?

 Sessions are free and all materials will be provided. 
Vouchers are also available for those who would like their travel expenses reimbursed.

David Shenton

David Shenton is a British cartoonist who specializes in queer comics. Shenton is known for his work “Controlled Hysteria,” Stanley and The Mask of Mystery, and Phobia Phobia. His comic strips have been featured in the collections Strips Aids, No Straight Lines,
and AARGH.

Shenton has been an illustrator of LGBTQ comics since the 1970s and has addressed social issues including same-sex marriage and the aids crisis  His early comics can be found in gay newspapers like Gay News, Him, and Capital Gay. As a freelance artist, his work has been featured in the Guardian Building Design, Gay News, Disability Now, Solicitors’ Journal, and Opticians. In addition to his art career, Shenton has taught literacy at Norwich Prison, Hackney College, and the Education Department of the London Zoo.

Research Project: Critical Crafts

This workshop is part of a research project called Critical Crafts. We are exploring how arts and crafts offer new ways of engaging feminist and queer theory, activism, and critical reflection. Some of the most important research in the social sciences has been conducted by queer people based on their own experience of social inequality, such as feminist theories criticising patriarchy, research on queer history and activism, and how capitalism oppresses various minority groups. We invite you to join us as co-investigators in this journey by sharing how you explore questions of power and social inequality in your daily life, and how to create queer theory from our collective experience.

This event is supported by a grant from the British Academy, in collaboration with QUEERCIRCLE and Lancaster University.

We strive to provide a physical environment that is accessible to all visitors. This includes:

• Offering ground-level, step-free access to our spaces.
• Offering elevator access to our project space located on the first floor.
• Providing accessible restrooms for all genders on every floor of our venues.
• Providing folding chairs or other forms of seating at every venue.
• Welcoming assistive animal at our spaces and events.
• Designating drop-off zones and parking spots within the Design District for visitors with disabilities on Phoenix Avenue which is 160 meters away. 
  
  Contact ola@queercircle.org for any additional access needs