Disabled artist, researcher and drag king Lady Kitt was commissioned by Craftspace to undertake a digital residency exploring intersectional and unheard stories and voices. They collaborated with producer Sarah Li and LGBTQIA+ communities, working online and in-person with groups in Barnsley, Newcastle and Birmingham.

The result is an interactive digital exhibition and toolkit which invites people to challenge traditional ideas about gender through craft and performance. Participants can enter into an immersive environment to explore different characters, learn something about the history of drag and experiment with ‘how-to’ instructions for making fabulous costumes, props and make-up from natural and recycled materials. It includes images of ‘before’ and ‘after’ transformations from workshops.

“What a joy it’s been to see how creatively inventive and playful people involved in the project have been in developing and producing their eco-drag characters. I’m excited to see how new audiences respond to and engage with our ideas for producing their own characters / costumes through the #EcoDragChallange,” said Lady Kitt.

The wider project aims to explore drag as contemporary folk art, developing environmentally responsible tools and techniques inspired by LGBTQIA+ traditions of collaborative crafting.

“The digital exhibition raises awareness of LGBTQIA+ culture and elevates drag as an expressive folk art whilst also encouraging use of planet-kind methods for making. Buying ready-made drag costumes and accessories is costly and this resource provides an inclusive DIY approach making it accessible, creative and fun for everyone!” added Deirdre Figueiredo MBE, Director of Craftspace.

People inspired by the exhibition and resource are invited to share their transformations with Craftspace by emailing [email protected] or via social media.