In this blog, Sarah Jones (History) continues our series on humanities projects funded by the Brigstow Institute.
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I was fortunate to be involved in a recent Brigstow-funded project that explored the impact of Section 28. The project brought together academics from across the University – Lois Bibbings, Peter Dunne, and Liam Davis from Law, Hannah Charnock and I from History, and Surangama Datta from English – alongside artists and local creatives. Central to our collaboration was the performance artist Tom Marshman and his most recent work, Section 28 and Me, a deeply personal piece that reflects on how Section 28 shaped his own childhood. The show interrogates the consequences of growing up in a culture of fear and silence – both for Tom as an individual and for the wider queer community.
Tom’s performance pulls from a host of different stories and retellings of Section 28. Alongside his own memories of the 1980s, he incorporated insights from ‘tea parties’ – community events held in gay bars, museums, and arts centres, where people came together to share rainbow cake, drink tea, and write their memories on paper tablecloths. These gatherings created an archive of emotional responses and personal reflections on Section 28.
Photo Credit: Mark Gray
Throughout the development of the show, Tom also worked closely with our academic team. We held regular ‘show and tell’ meetings in which shared objects and resources from our own research to spark interesting conversations, and stepped into rehearsals to help Tom reflect on the work he was producing. The end product is undoubtedly Tom’s but was shaped by a collaborative approach that combined academic research, Tom’s own experiences, and stories and memories shared by Bristol’s queer community.
Tom as Thatcher.
Photo Credit: Vonalina Cake
It was hugely enjoyable to work with Tom and support his creative process by bringing in some of my own research into gender and sexuality in modern Britain. But, further than that, I found it hugely rewarding as it challenged me to think about historical materials in more creative ways. Workshopping primary sources with someone with such a different perspective and training background to my own made me look at materials differently. At the same time, reading accounts of the 1980s laid out on the tea party table cloths helped me understand some of my sources in new and unexpected ways. Far from simply being there to consult, being part of the project has influenced my own practice the way I think about such a prominent moment in the queer history of Britain.
Our work hasn’t come to an end yet, and our collaboration with Tom continues to grow and thrive even though the Brigstow project has officially come to an end. We’ve produced a series of podcasts where we talk about key themes and contexts, and about the process of working with each other. Lois, Tom, and I also recently spoke to the Association of Family Therapists about history, memory, and community, and will present both a section of Tom’s show and our reflections on collaborative working at a history conference this summer. I’m looking forward to seeing how our collaboration develops in the future and hope we all continue to push each other to ask different questions and see things in new and productive ways.