REBEL DYKE FUTURES
WHEN: Saturday 17th October, 6-9pm
6-7pm: Panel Discussion in the Wolfson Hall (separate ticket)
7-9pm: Exhibition Opening Show at the Bill Brown Creative Workshops Gallery (separate ticket)
WHERE: Churchill College, Cambridge
WHO: Open to the public (… dykes are particularly welcome!)
Join us at Churchill College, University of Cambridge, for an evening of rebel dyke JOY. Rather than looking solely backwards into history to discuss lesbian community-building, student at the University of Cambridge, dyke community-organiser, and founder of The Butch4Butch Archives Amy Walpole asks the question: what does our community want for the future of dyke spaces?
By exhibiting exclusive archival photographic material of legendary dyke club night Chain Reaction, Amy Walpole intends to encourage community discussions amongst visitors about both the history and future of lesbian space. Beginning with a video introduction by Joelle Taylor and a panel discussion featuring Fisch (as featured in the Channel 4 documentary ‘Rebel Dykes’), and Tabs (founder of modern-day club night Butch, Please), hosted by Amy, we will dive into the creation of the Rebel Dyke spaces of the 80s and 90s and fantasise about the future of sex-positive and trans-inclusive lesbian nightlife and community-building. The discussion will feature a live performance of Amy Walpole's poetry written in response to the project's research process - covering themes of butchness, resistance, and belonging.
After the panel discussion, guests will be welcomed into the Bill Brown Creative Workshops' Gallery, where they are encouraged to view exclusive photographs from inside the Chain Reaction club, engage with Amy's exhibited poetry, and contribute towards a communal piece of archival art, which will be donated to the Bishopsgate Institute post-exhibition.
Chain Reaction (1987-1993) held erotic cabarets, live leatherdyke performances, and spaghetti-hoop wrestling nights, amongst much else… In a time where dyke community spaces are being lost, but even more urgently rebuilt upon values of intersectionality, rebellion, and inclusivity, the Rebel Dyke Futures Project aims to remind guests to hold on to the resistance, joy, and love that was woven into spaces like Chain Reaction - and to start building their own.
Tickets are LIMITED due to event capacity, so get yours now!