If you are in London over the next 10 days, head to Barbican for the free exhibition Out and About! Archiving LGBTQ+ history at Bishopsgate Institute.
This selection of objects shares 40 moments in London’s LGBTQ+ history to celebrate Barbican’s 40th birthday. Bishopsgate Institute collects and archives a wide range of artefacts to chart the lived experience of Londoners. This installation includes items of pride, protest, performance and art and is a moving testament to how much has been achieved, how much still remains to be done and the importance of sharing experiences and concerns across a community.
With zines that you can sit and read, protest badges, banners and placards, and posters and photos, as well as some outfits and costumes, the exhibit is beautifully presented. Seeing the book Jenny lives with Eric and Martin, a lovely evocation of a young girl and her two dads, and remembering how that sparked section 28 in the UK, when a similar moral panic is on the rise, is powerful. But this is contrasted with diaries, a wall of placards from the Black Trans Lives Matter protest and a fabulous dress worn by Mzz Kimberley.
A fascinating exhibition of queer history that is troublingly relevant today but also vital in its energy and stories. It runs until Sunday 26 March.
