By Laura Lamb.
The evening before this year’s Pride enlivened the city, a special exhibition opened at God’s House Tower, aspace’s multi-use arts and heritage space on Town Quay in Southampton.
Over the course of a year, young people aged 16-25 have been taking part in weekly sessions run by local charity, In Focus Education & Development. Since 2015, In Focus have provided much needed arts-based learning for young people at risk or vulnerable, and those not in education, employment or training. Supported by Arts Council England, their current outreach programme, Develop Skills, Learn and Reflect (DSLR), brings together skilled artist practitioners and young people to learn new skills, explore and discuss a range of important topics and work both individually and collaboratively, with a view to create and share expressive works of art.
Using a variety of mediums, from photography to collage and creative writing, the resulting exhibition, They Will Not Take You Seriously, is an exploration of self, identity and evolution. Created and curated by the young people themselves (the exhibition’s title borne from a discussion during one of the group sessions), it provides an excellent opportunity to see things through their eyes. The group of young people, identifying in one form or another as LGBTQIA+, worked to explore ideas of not feeling listened to or taken seriously because of their age, identity or experience.
Speaking at the launch event on Friday 23rd August, In Focus’ Chief Executive, Kristianne Drake, addressed a crowded room: “Shakespeare said, ‘All that glitters is not gold’, and he was right. The young people and their work in this space sparkle brighter than any precious metal or diamond. They burn bright, and in doing so, cast a light on the world that we can all benefit from. But some of this light comes from the darker places they have inhabited. Spaces both physically and metaphysically uninhabitable at times, but they are still here—brighter and stronger than before.”
As well as showcasing work created by the young artists, They Will Not Take You Seriously also centres around the idea of labels and breaking free from their constraints—from the outright negative to those that might appear potentially positive or helpful. At the heart of this exhibition is a powerful statement: that you do not have to be pigeonholed, contained in a specific box or under one exacting label, to understand or define yourself as a person.
Kristianne described standing in the midst of this exhibition made by these young people as a joy, and “to have inhabited the spaces they light up is a privilege.” They encouraged the audience to embrace the young artists “generosity, acknowledge their vulnerability and become part of their journey with them”, before inviting attendees to participate in the work as well—by writing down any labels they too would like to shed, or rather, shred…as they were placed into a shredder to applause and cheers from onlookers.
The exhibition, programmed to run alongside Ian Giles’ interactive video installation, Everyone Involved, and Southampton’s Queer Stories (GHT’s archival exploration of the city’s lesser-known history of queer pride reaching back to the 1970s), works perfectly to complement the history of our city, in showing the present and potential future of Southampton queer voices and community too. Speaking of his own gratitude for those championing gay rights and standing for equality in Southampton over the past 40+ years, artist Ian Giles teared up as he spoke to the audience, saying that, “Without any of this; without the actions of these generations past, it would not be possible for me to live the beautiful life I am able to live today.”
His sentiments were welcomed and applauded by the room, as he acknowledged both the older, pioneering generation involved in campaigning for queer rights, and thanked the young curators from DSLR 16-25—the queer artists of tomorrow.
They Will Not Take You Seriously runs from 23rd August-8th September, with the other exhibits available to view until 27th October. All are free to attend, though donations are welcomed.
You can find out more about the work In Focus do with both young people and beyond at infocusedu.co.uk, and about these current and future exhibitions and events programmed by God’s House Tower at godshousetower.org.uk.
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