FeMUSEum
"FeMUSEum brings these 4 generations of ultra femmes together to share their lineage and legacy of performance and femininity. By creating performance exhibits that pay tribute to their individual femme muses, they will build their own museum and throw a party that celebrates their sometimes overlooked and often forgotten feminine and feminist inspirations. "
Musing Muses, was a performative conversation between Lois Weaver, Bird la Bird, Amy Lamé and Carmelita Tropicana with special local guests considering feminine lineage and legacy.
FeMUSEum happened in New York and London. Having the opportunity to go to New York as an artist and work with these amazing divas was one of the most eggciting experiences of the my life.
Femuseum YouTube - Bird on Bird
Visit the FeMUSEum YouTube channel to see some more.
FeMUSEum gallery
Dixons Place
We held an event in Dixon's Place, a performance space in NYC drenched in the history of the lesbian and queer underground performance art scene. The even brought together New York based femmes and ourselves and was a chance for the other femmes to participate.
My Muses
Selecting my muses was a difficult process of elimination, there's so many femmes and feminine icons I admire.
Fevvers
Fevvers, the Cockney Venus, is the star of Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus, my favourite book of all time. Fevvers is a six foot two plus size glamazon with a pair of working wings and a love of the limelight, bling, champagne and eel pie.
This winged woman is no angel. Raised in a feminist brothel, she's a burping, farting, music hall sleb who knows how to turn an ambiguity into an asset.
Is she fact or is she fiction? Is she a woman or is she a monster? She's my heroine. By extension, my muses are also the late great Angela Carter and London, the city so beloved to all three of us.
Poly Steryne
“Some people say little girls should be seen and not heard, but I think “Oh bondage up yours!””
At the tender age of 6, Mum and Dad took us to London the day after the Silver Jubilee in 1977 to see the decorations. We watched the Jubilee on the telly, of course, better seats and cheaper. It was the best holiday ever and my fondest memories are of eating massive slices of this new food called pizza and punk girls. Oh, the punk girls, so resplendent and defiant, basking in the unusually hot summer sun. Everyone was staring at them. Alien creatures. They were ignoring the attention.
I remember being entranced and Mum yanking me away and telling me to stop gawping. Right there and then I resolved I would be a punk girl too.
Poly Steryne and the ladies of Punk, thankyou for showing me the day glo way to independence in fashion and thinking.
RIP Poly Styrene
1956-2011
Lois Weaver
Creep! You may say! Well it’s true. It was really hard to narrow down from the amazing Femme artists, film makers and writers I’d like to honour, but when I really thought about it all roads led to Lois.
Lois was making edgy, sexy, political, lesbian, Femme performance art when I was still in convent school. What I love about her work is how she uses Femme as a starting point to explore so many aspects of the wider world in all its magic and for all its injustices.
Of course I couldn’t muse on Lois without showing some appreciation to Tammy Whynot! A Little Sparrow tells me I could learn a thing or two from that lady.
Works
FeMUSEum was part performance and part performative objects, which were sold in the museum shop.
Performance
Cockney Venus is based on Fevver's monologue from the beginning of Nights at the Circus. I first read NATC when I was about 20 and I fell head over heels in love with Fevvers. The beginning of my piece Up Your Art is inspired by Fevver's narrative.
I didn't want to approach the piece as an "actress" and I didn't want to try to be Fevvers physically. I wanted to queer the piece by using mime. I decided to use drag and lip sync to play with Carter's themes of deception. This was also a homage to Split Britches and their use of lip sync when paying homage to Lois's hero Tenessee Williams.
See, I already knew Fevvers. I met her when I first moved to London. Her name's BJ and the moment I clapped eyes on her, I thought OMG THAT'S FEVVERS! This girl was the walking, talking embodiment of the cockney venus. BJ and I worked together on the monologue. It was really incredible. I listened to BJ, closed my eyes and saw Fevvers. Magic. And the scouse Venus manages to pull off being Cockney.
The piece ends with a simple magic lantern style animation.
Credits
- Fevvers monologue Adapted from Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter by Ms Bird
- The "voice that clanged like dustbin lids" HRH BJ - the Cockney Venus
- Props by Aston Martin
- Ms Bird's Costumier - Lucas Mckenna
- Fevvers illustration by Alexar Lazar, Cyanworks Adapted from Ms Bird's tattoo by Mo Coppoletta
- Animation by Patrycja Grimm
- Directed by Julie McNamara
The Calyx of Lois
I wanted to create an object that would be part of the museum itself for my piece which played homage to Lois Weaver. The project led me to ancient Greece. This started because I thought there was a lot of comedy potential but as I explored Ancient Greek art at the British Museum I was drawn into the beauty of the pots.
As Lois is a living legend I decided to create a piece which would be like an epic poem. I approached my friend Alexar Lazar and asked her to collaborate with me to create an "ancient" pot celebrating Lois. Using the internet and print media as the source, we took fragments that we knew about Lois and invented our own legends.
Credits
- Concept & art direction by Ms Bird
- Illustration by Alexar Lazar, Cyanworks
- Pot painting led by Amanda Millis with Aston Martin & Alec
Please visit this page again soon for more info on the FeMUSEum