Gross Indeceny

As a collective, I think all us Re-Dockers are very clear and what is and what is not a Re-Dock project.  We’ve mainly worked this out from our own work practices, where making a living is a major priority.  Re-Dock as a CIC can be much more selective.  However, it’s interesting examining how our work as individuals has grown and been influenced by our Re-Dock methodology.

Take the other weekend.  I was in London working on a personal project documenting a themed club night for Duckie, those ‘Purveyors of Progressive Working Class Entertainment’. The concept behind the night was ‘Gross Indecency’ referring to a time prior to 1967 when homosexuality was illegal and police raids and blackmail were common place for gay people.   The evening was a heady mixture of costume, characters, nostalgia and entertainment.

With video work, I always like to find a slightly different approach to each project, trying to spot individual stories to lead the way.  My initial idea was to ask people to tell me a make believe story based on the life of the character they had come dressed as.  I ended up collecting a mixture of this with a variety of real life memories and stories from people at the event who had lived through those times.    It’s not that long ago after all.

There’s something to learn here and something that Re-Dock can use, as in, I’ve seen many a dull history project that, although very worthy in ambition, fail to find any real connection with the people outside it’s inner circle.  And yet, here at Duckie, it seemed to be happening in a completely inclusive and engaging way, in something so simple as pure entertainment.

I read an article today written by Frank Cottrell Boyce where he says ‘Real creativity should feel like a game, not a career.  Having to hang out the washing or get up and make breakfast helps you remember that your “work” is actually fun.’

I think that’s something to take forward.