The Process: More Than a Space - The Club in Black Queer History

Somerset House Podcast

Why has the club been so pivotal to the history of black queer placemaking?
For artist and filmmaker Topher Campbell, growing up as a Black queer man in 1980s and 90s Britain, the club provided a sanctuary from the judgement and hostility of mainstream society. It became a space for community, self-discovery, and, as a care leaver, a sense of home. As co-founder of the rukus! archive and curator of the exhibition Making a rukus!: Black Queer Histories Through Love and Resistance, Campbell reflects on how the club scene reverberates through the archive, one of Europe's largest Black LGBTQIA+ collections, and its vital role in Black queer placemaking.
In this podcast, Campbell speaks with two pioneers of the Black queer club scene: DJ Biggy C (aka Calvin Dawkins) in London, who helped create space for Black music in the capital’s predominantly white gay clubs, and US based Madison Moore, academic, DJ, and author of Fabulous: The Rise of the Beautiful Eccentric. Madison discusses his mission to reclaim techno for the black femme community and how fabulousness can offer both mask and armour for Black queer club-goers. Madison is an assistant professor at Brown University.
For further support, we’d like to highlight the following resources:
UK Black Pride
BLKOUT
Black Beetle Health
Galop
Produced by: Alannah Chance
Presented by: Topher Campbell
Series presenter: Laurent John
Mixed by Mike Woolley
Theme Music: Ka Baird
Additional Music: Shaun J Wright and Alinka