EventProduction

Queering the Collection, focused on the lack of representation of LGBTQIA+ stories in Wellcome’s permanent gallery Medicine Man. To explore this, Tabs Deadman and I produced and delivered a workshop where people were invited to choose an object from the gallery and give it a queer interpretation. This helped people to see themselves in a space where our experiences have been erased and to critically think about how museums display objects, intertwining and incorporating the complex relationships between race, gender, disabilities and sexuality. After the gallery activity, we opened a space with queer materials from the collection to facilitate a group discussion about the future of queer representation in museums. The feedback we received was incredible as for many people this was the first time they felt entitled to question the interpretation of a gallery with historical objects, to bring their personal experiences to the space.

The workshop took place in July and November 2022 and it was part of the Beyond Medicine Man series to commemorate the closing of the permanent gallery Medicine Man.

Queering the Collection

Wellcome Collection, London, 2022

Stills of a victorian album of female impersonators, part of The Gardiner Collection, from Queering the Collection workshop, Wellcome Collection, 2022

Online Workshop with Wellcome collection, November 2021

(Un)happy Queers took place in November 2021 as a series of interactive online workshops related to the temporary exhibition (On)happiness at Wellcome Collection. The workshops involved rethinking and challenging mainstream representations and narratives around happiness and LGBTQIA+ lives in media. During the event, artists works and archive materials that explore alternative ways of representing the diversity of queer experiences were presented to the group to discuss and reflect on. A materials pack with an archive of LGBTQIA+ images from Wellcome Collection archives was sent to participants to create a collage postcard inspired by the conversations. This workshop was produced during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, and it was ideated as an intent to engage with vulnerable visitors that could not attend the building in person.

Collage made by participant Holly Wilshere with materials from (Un)happy queers workshop, 2021

Queering the Collection: exploring Tate Britain

Tate Britain, London, 2023

Taking place in the historic galleries, during this activity attendees were invited to look for clues to LGBTQI+ experiences in the artworks on display. After people had the opportunity to share their discoveries and discuss how they relate to contemporary experiences of queerness. With this event we wanted to allow people to misread artworks and find queerness in places that has been erased. The goal was to allow people to interpret artworks from their personal experience, to see themselves as knowledge producers.

This event was part of Queer and Now at Tate Britain, a festival dedicated to the powerful role of LGBTQIA+ art and culture in the UK.

Nan Carreira (left) and Tabs Deadman (right) during Queering the Collection: exploring Tate Britain.

Queering life Drawing

Wellcome Collection, London, 2023

In this event for young people (14 -19) and co-curated with artist Gaby Sahhar, we explore queerness, art and representation of bodies and experiences.

The first half of the workshop the group takes inspiration from the galleries and archive images from the James Gardiner Collection to explore ideas around vulnerability and resistance. The group works together to create a collective drawing that will serve as background for the life drawing session.

On the second half of the workshop we are joined by June, Maya and Ernie who will be doing poses inpired by archive images focusing on collectiveness, vulnerability and resistance.

Stills of Life Drawing session and participants creating the collective drawing, Wellcome Collection, 2023

Ignite memories was a project that aimed to connect history and personal experiences around LGBTQ+ lives and experiences. The first version was a workshop that took place at Wellcome Collection's Reading Room. There participants had the chance to create postcard to any LGBTQ+ person in history or their lives using images from LGBTQ+ history and artists. After they could send their postcard to anyone the wanted via a post box in the space.

The second version took place during LGBTQ+ History Month in 2021. As this happened during the pandemic the project was delivered and shared via instagram. We did an open call to write a love letter to any LGBTQ+ person in history or in their lives and for a month we published information around LGBQT+ history as a way to inspire applications.

The selected love letters were posted in Wellcome Collection Instagram.

Made in collaboration with Becky Buckham, all collage images created by Nan Carreira.