THE transformative power of costume and make-up is to be the focus of a new V&A Dundee event which has been co-curated with legendary Glaswegian fashion designer Charles Jeffrey.
Inspired by scenes from Charles Atlas’s film Hail the New Puritan, Jeffrey has assembled a host of queer creatives for a Tay Late: Because We Must on May 27.
The after-hours, one-night-only event takes inspiration from the museum’s current exhibition on the dancer and choreographer Michael Clark, and celebrates the work of designers, DJs, artists and dancers.
Costumed in Loverboy archive garments, with looks created using make-up provided by Mac Cosmetics, these performers will interact with specially commissioned set pieces created by Furmaan Ahmed.
Artist Sgaire Wood has modelled for Charles Jeffrey and is known internationally for her bold baby doll outfits and oversized eye make-up, with videos of her intricate designs attracting millions of views worldwide.
Music will come from JungleHussi, Big Gay Ross, and Henri, resident DJ at Turn The Tables, a charity which delivers creative projects and training to improve mental health resilience, support people to overcome complex situations, and explore DJing as a commercial activity for anyone facing barriers to education and employment.
JungleHussi is resident at La Cheetah and a regular on Glasgow’s Clyde Built Radio, as well as a practising photographer and artist. He has played across the UK and around the world, including warming up for Honey Dijon and Joy Orbison.
Big Gay Ross is a DJ who runs The Salty Dog bar in Dundee. He is a regular in various bars and clubs in Dundee including Klozet and Pout.
V&A Dundee’s LGBT+ staff working group will be inviting audiences into the Scottish Design Galleries to hear about the museum’s objects from a different angle. They’ll be unpicking stories of identity and questioning alternative histories, to see the galleries from a queer perspective.
Jeffrey said: “I am so grateful to be given the opportunity to respond to Michael’s work for this event. I feel so connected to his work and all the people that have orbited it. It’s so exciting to be able to do this in Scotland, our shared home country.”
Nichol Keene, creative programmer at V&A Dundee, said: “This one-night-only event will be truly memorable, bringing together an eclectic mix of DJs, contemporary performers and others working with the same energy as Michael Clark.
Tickets can be bought at www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/event/387/tay-late-because-we-must
