Birthed from VFD's studio, Charles Jeffrey's latest LOVERBOY collection launched to huge acclaim. Check out images and reviews of his 'delirious, historicised extravagance' here:
Taylor Mac at Lift Festival - review
Lift Festival is the most positively, affirmatively named festival that Taylor Mac has ever performed in, Judy (Taylor’s preferred pronoun) went on to list ‘Under Construction’, ‘Under the Radar’ , ‘Arts and Ideas’ as the more downbeat and earnest type of festivals and events that Judy normally plays. This element of lifting ran throughout the show at the Hackney Empire with Taylor taking us on a shamanic radical faery journey that aimed to leave consumerism, sexism, racism and many other ‘isms’ behind and to take the audience into a bright future through a series of ritualistic audience participation exercises. The show had a fabulously louche backing track of 20th century hits from iconoclast performers such as Tiny Tim, Nina Simone and Patty Smith, all sung by Taylor and accompanied by the super laid-back band. Each song gave emphasis to the total performance and, of course, were sung with Taylor’s unique delivery.
The highlight was watching Taylor getting out into the audience and selecting members to illustrate Judy’s thoughts on pronouns, patriarchy and panting - all accompanied with eye-rolling, perfect comedic comments and soulful reflection from Judy giving the show a lightness of touch that can only be judged by a performer who knows how to effortlessly guide an audience through complex imagery.
Through interaction and participation Judy aimed to make the audience and the individuals in it into a community. The objective was clearly important to Judy who commented that through the ephemeral nature of art and performance communities could be made in terms of bringing people together, getting people to talk to one another, exchanging ideas and making continued contact outside the confine of the theatre.
This show is a prequel to a much more ambitious piece of work that Taylor is working on that involves singing 240 songs in 24hrs and tracing popular music from the 19th century through to the 21st. An incredible feat and in July of this year Taylor will be attempting to complete this dream with a supporting cast of performers, actors and dancers. All of it to be garnished with exhaustion, confusion, and super human amounts of energy as promised by Taylor. There is the hope that Judy will be able to perform some of this show in the UK in the near future. Fingers crossed this spectacle makes it to these shores soon.
A beautifully judged show by an immensely talented performer, who is in love with London and wants to make a connection with the city. We salute you Taylor Mac and assure you that you are loved back.
Fantastic that ‘Lift Festival’ started on such a great high and filled the glorious Empire, I look forward to rest of the programme and especially to seeing Neil Bartlett’s new work STELLA.
LOVE ART MAGIC
VFD
BENT FEST 2016: MAY 29TH-MAY 30TH
A must check out for the music lover, Punk supporter. Details and event page below.
BENT FEST is back!!! This year we’re at DIY Space For London, once more bringing you the toughest queer punk from the UK and beyond! Saturday night we’ve got A super secret special headliner but for now roll on the fantastic bands we’ve got so far this year!:
CRUISING / SHOPPING / PERSONAL BEST / ERRING SODA/ END MEN / ANXIETY / CUNTROACHES / DASKINSEY 4 / TOWEL / CAMP SHY / DREGS / SUGGESTED FRIENDS / ACTUAL CRIMES / DIRTYGIRL / UNFRITH
Bands will run over two days Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th May, with fun stuff in the daytimes and a launch party on Friday night too ! Separate ticketing will apply for the Friday event (still in the works!! )
Advance tickets available now, £15 for a weekend ticket here: http://
DIY Space For London is a fully accessible autonomous venue in South Bermondsey/off the Old Kent Road run by and for its members. Becoming a member costs £2 and takes 48 hours to come into effect.
Spoken Word Promoter and Writer Patrick Cash talk to Artbeat: Tuesday 17th May
The promoter of our Weekly Spoken Word night at VFD and writer, is bringing a new show to the Kings Head Theatre, The Chemsex Monologues. Spoken Word, Every Wednesday 7.30pm, Free entry, VFD.
Check out an interview with this busy man below.
[embed]http://www.thestateofthearts.co.uk/features/38878/[/embed]
Charles Jeffrey and Loverboy at VFD: Lula Magazine April 2016
The Loverboy Parties which started at VFD with Charles Jeffrey and his family of Loverboy's!
As Charles goes on to do another collection, after filming with Nick Knight and Showstudio last week, Lula Magazine talks of about his work and how it all came from this great party and times at VFD.
Charles Jeffrey's follows in the glorious linage of Leigh Bowery's Taboo with his LOVERBOY knees-up in Dalston. What started as a means of funding his Central St. Martins MA has since become a minim maelstrom among East London's queer community as he joined the Fashion East MAN roster for AW16. The collection featured "drunk" tailoring, champagne cork-cage chokers, and a catwalk full of his fellow revellers. "It's gender-queer, its powerful, it's a misfit , it's angry, it's sweaty , " Jeffrey's has said of his collection as much as his club, full of extravagantly dressed bons viveurs such as designer Matty Bovan and model hair net.
Lula UK
April 2016
Check out Charles website
Boy Meets Wool: Charles Jeffrey and Showstudio
VFD is very pleased to be support and be a part of this. Over three days, Designer Charles Jeffrey will create with The Woolmark Company live on camera, discussing and revealing his working process, from conception to completion. He will take questions from viewers while he works.Tune in on 19, 20 and 21 of April 2016 to watch the process unfold live on camera.
Link below.
VFD Film Night No.2: Refugees: Tuesday 3rd May
The second in VFD’s new series of film nights looking at various relevant social & cultural issues. On the 3rd of May we will be looking at the current refugee/migrant crises in Calais & Greece. ✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈
Calais volunteer and filmmaker Behnam Taheri will show a series of shorts. He will give insight into filming in the Jungle from working and filming the Good Chance theatre project; to engaging creatively with the refugees and the sensitivity need to film people in this volatile atmosphere.
https://www.facebook.com/GoodChanceCalais.2015/?fref=ts
Olly Bennett Morrison has recently spent time in Greece making a film about the refugee crisis there. We will be screening a 10 minute preview of the documentary which is due to be released in the next couple of months.
We are also going to be talking about the Refugee Community Kitchen with one of its organisers Steve Bedlam who will talk about the practicallities of running the operation. A team from the VFD Film Night are also looking at making a film with the RCK. Our fundraising enterprises will be used in part to get get down there and have cash to buy the food we’ll bring with us.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RefugeeCommunityKitchen/
Doors at 8pm, programme starts at 8.30pm.
✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈✈
£3 ON THE DOOR!: All profits go to Good Chance, a theatre space in the jungle where residents can express themselves artistically or verbally, or just to escape & have some fun: http://goodchance.org.uk/ & Refugee Community Kitchen in Calais.
New Fanzine Artsy Reedy on VFD: April 2016
BA Fashion design student Bryony Wedge from Middlesex aspires to be a designer and artist, and sometime photographer. A music lover and conceptual design, she is based in North London and is always looking for new commissions/collaborations to work on.
Check out her piece on VFD in the first edition out now.
You can find her over at instagram at
https://www.instagram.com/bry.wedge/
For any enquiries about the zine or her work please email
bryonywedge@hotmail.co.uk
Artsy Reedy is all about New Romantics in the modern day, gender identity and how social aspects are changing amongst the scene.
It's an anagram of Starry-Eyed which holds significance for Bryony as it's all about naive expectations and ideas.
All the artwork featured is done by Bryony, unless specified.
The fanzine is available if anyone wants to order through the email.
Trans 2016: The One Show//BBC 1
The wonderful Rhyannon Styles features in this show from last week discussing being Trans and much more. We love you Rhyannon! Check out her column on
http://www.elleuk.com/tags/rhyannon-styles
Check out the show here
[embed]https://vimeo.com/154921351[/embed]
PRG Studio Magic
Some more magic from past visitors at collaborators at VFD, LA's Project Rage Queen. Check them out here https://www.facebook.com/projectragequeen/ [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR2b-GdPEOs[/embed]
Photographer Emily Rose England takes us into her Queer London
[embed]http://hiskind.com/2016/03/inside-queer-london-pt-ii/[/embed]
You Are Here:Book
The collaboration You Are Here who showed in the VFD Window Exhibition Space have a book out.
This is a collection of photographic nudes about reclaiming our cities and personal power.
Check out the website
Evening Standard Celebrations at Bistrotheque with the VFD Family and Loverboy
Christeene: THE NEW ALBUM. THE NEW VIDEOS.
Support our friend and amazing performer Christeene in achieving their target in making a new album and video for the worlds listening and viewing pleasure. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/christeene-the-new-album-the-new-videos#/
DARC (Documentation Action Research Collective) A new artist collective
‘ARTISTS DOCUMENTING OTHER ARTISTS DARC is a collective of artists who work in different media creating documentation and promotional material for artists.
We believe that the documentation of artist’s work is not just an act of preservation, but a creative act in itself. We consider our work a process of collaboration, a dialogue, a responsibility and an art form of its own.’
We have a website – please take a look and if you have any feedback it is very welcome while we are in this developmental stage... http://www.darc.media
One of the functions of the website and of DARC is not only to create documentation but to archive it and we invite you to upload your own documentation here http://www.darc.media/upload-your-documentation/
The Gay Men Who Hate Women - An interesting read.
An interesting read with a quote from VFD owner Lyall Hakaraia. http://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/the-gay-men-who-hate-women
Our Friend and part of the VFD family tell's it like it is on ELLEUK.com-Meet Rhyannon Styles
Our wonderful bartender, artist and hairdresser has joined the Elle team to discuss being young and Trans. Check it out http://elleuk.com/now-trending/new-girl-young-trans-columinst-rhyannon-styles
Much love to this girl!
Launch: Dalston Oxjam -Saturday 8th August
The Oxjam Takeover weekend will be coming to Dalston on October 17th and 18th. To celebrate, we're kicking off with a launch party at VFD on the 8th of August. Artists from this years takeover will be performing (including DJ sets from Host) and all profits will be going to Oxfam. Expect feel-good disco and dance music all night long!
*SPECIAL GUEST DJ TO BE ANNOUNCED*
£5 on the door or in advance from Resident Advisor: http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?737689
Tickets for the Takeover on the 17th and 18th October will be on sale soon. Your ticket will allow entry to 5 Takeover Venues, including Shacklewell Arms, Birthdays, Tipsy, Servants Jazz Quarters and VFD.
Artists Announced for Oxjam Dalston 2015:
- Billy Boguard
- Ellie Rose
- Host
- Jonny Banger and Friends
- Kenza Blanka
- Laura Riganti
- Short Stories
- State of Play
+ Many more to be announced!
ICY GAYS TEASER
ICY GAYS is back this Friday 7th June with a killer line up including Bourgeois & Maurice, Le Gateau Chocolat, Rose Wood, Lucy Fizz, Jeannie Dee, an interactive film by Jonny Woo, a live installation by WERK and a DJ set from Dirtbox. To get you in the mood for a bit of Lucy Fizz's sploshing Sharna Osborne has created a little teaser for you. See the all of it on Friday at the ICA. Get your tickets HERE
ICY GAYS / ICA / JUNE 7TH from Sharna Osborne on Vimeo.
VogueFabricsDalston presents: Icy Gays at ICA // Thursday 7th February, 8pm
East London’s favourite disco basement Vogue Fabrics pops up at the ICA with a special installation of live music, DJs and intimate performance. Icy Gays brings the best genderfuck performance to the ICA stage with a special live disco set rom Italian dance queen Hard Ton, full blown guitar distortion from 100% Beefcock & the Titsburster, performances from Rhyannon Styles, Jonny Woo & Batty Lashes, Sharon Husbands, Season Butler, Batpig and Trixie Bellair, trampolining transvestites and a DJ set from Anal House Meltdown. Hosted by tranny superstar Jonny Woo. £8, £7 concessions, £5 ICA members Tickets available from the ICA website here
Vogue Fabrics presents: ICY GAYS Thursday 7th February 8pm
ICA The Mall SW1Y 5AH