Luke Wateridge

Photography (MA)

‘Evolution of Queer Expression’ explores the connection between the LGBTQ+ community and fashion history, in order to consider how fashion has long been a source of symbolism and power for queer individuals. As a transgender man myself, whose identity can be dictated by fashion, I find this historical part of my community’s past to be a rather intriguing and important narrative to discuss. Highlighting the lives of those who came before documents how these people are relevant in the conversation about fashion and the LGBTQ+ community today, as there are clear examples of how modern-day fashion is inspired and deeply rooted in the past. This series is dedicated to highlighting transgender lives through history to demonstrate that we have always existed and aren’t a modern ‘trend’. Recovering and discussing transgender narratives from the archives is vital in uncovering the stories and lives of those who have been silenced and hidden throughout history. By using documented experiences in archival material and reading between the lines through missing documents, transgender lives have been retold throughout each garment.

This piece comments on the 18th century term of 'molly'. It was used to describe effeminate gay men at the time. They would often imitate women in private meetings at molly houses, using female names and pronouns, dressing in women’s clothes and acting out marriages to each other. The photographs on the dress correspond to places that were important to mollies. Around the skirt, it shows a meeting place that was known as ‘sodomites walk’ in Finsbury Square and St James Square where a molly house once stood. On the corset, the photograph is of the corner of Hyde Park, where the Tyburn Tree gallows once stood. Where in 1726, three men were executed for sodomy following a police raid on a molly house.

This outfit explores dandy fashion at the end of the 19th century and start of the 20th century. I felt that this was a significant era to explore due to how Oscar Wilde’s connection to dandy fashion established the stereotype of gay men being effeminate. After he was imprisoned for gross indecency in 1895, people associated his elaborate fashion sense with his queer identity. I was also curious in how lesbian women redefined the style decades later as a symbol of defiance. On the waistcoat, the photographs reflect the symbolism of wearing a green carnation to signify you were queer to others safely, which Oscar Wilde created. For the trousers, the green pinstripes are formed from the Wilde quote "my life is a scandal."

The leather subculture started following WW2 because queer individuals were given blue discharges as homosexuality was considered an "undesirable characteristic" in America. When readjusting to civilian life, many queer individuals found comfort in biker gangs because of the strict regime and uniform requirements. With queer men eventually took the leather uniform and strict rules and formed their own bars. Across the outfit, the photographs are self-portraits of my hands touching different objects made of leather that I came across naturally during my everyday life. This was to demonstrate that leather can appear repeatedly throughout the day but also holds an intense association of sensuality when in specific environments.

About

Luke Wateridge is a multidisciplinary artist, working in historical studies, identity and the climate crisis.

Luke has an explicit passion for investigating the socio-political issues that are vitally important and personal to him, whether that be gender identity, climate change or genealogy, for example. It’s his ambition to produce truthful pieces of work on current issues that are imperative to his own experiences. This has become a fundamental concept to his work as he desires to present an honest perspective of these issues to people who may be unaware of their reality in order to challenge misconceptions and demand change.

For Luke, his photographic practice is often a multidisciplinary exploration, with research and techniques coming from other art mediums such as fashion or print, as well as frequent inspiration from science and history. Alongside this, when concentrating on photography itself, his attention falls to photographic darkroom and alternative photography methods. The direction of his academic work regularly impacts the decisions surrounding what processes he decides to use within his photographic work. This is because research into the development of analogue techniques and the role photography had on society throughout history allows for constant discoveries of alternative or historic photographic methods, which frequently allow for a greater narrative within the photographs, which then helps to reflect the specific socio-political issues.

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