What Went Down at 'My Life's A Parade': Solo Exhibition & Book Launch
Last week, Dazed Club member Gracie Brackstone organised an exhibition of work and launch of her new book at Manchester's Hidden Nightclub. The event was focused on emerging northern talents in all calibres, from DJs to designers, to performers and photographers. Gracie curated the event and pinned fabrics together for the show and curated the looks. The night featured performances from @daguwrlz – a new queer performance group in the North who are also friends and Collaborators of Gracie's.
"The collective, @artiscomingcollective, was formed a year ago, after an initial exhibition which highlighted northern talent and addressed how the cost of living crisis is affecting marginalised groups more. The event raised £350 for a local food bank and £200 in February for Trans youth. We have also managed to raise over £1000 for one of our members top surgery.
We have worked for venues such as Antwerp Mansion, VF Dalston, The Love Factory and The Tate Liverpool, for their Spirit of Eurovision show, back in May and this event has been the first one since then, as myself and XXS, my old housemate, were made to some degree, homeless and this put a stop to events for the time being. This book launch and exhibition, commented on this as we turned Hidden into our old house, 'The Doll House'. The space became like a squat, featuring clothes, fabrics, airbeds and protest signs, which have become significant in our lives over the past year.
We always look into addressing the wealth gap in the fashion industry- being resourceful and sustainable, whilst embodying anarchy, trans and queer rights, the need for creativity and spotlighting northern based talent. It is special because it is a community- the models are all friends, along with any DJ's, assistants and helpers of any kind.
We were so grateful for Hidden Night Club, a renowned queer art space in Manchester, who really supported us and provided a free space for us to showcase our work. We are hoping to get more into fashion shows in the next year and to grow further as a collective and community." – Gracie Brackstone
