Join members of The Wardrobe and The NewBridge Project to read along with The Body Politic, a chapter of The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion by Tansy E. Hoskins, newly released by Pluto Press.
Events
The NewBridge Project Gallery is closed throughout March. NewBridge Books will be open as usual.
Join members of The Wardrobe and The NewBridge Project to read along with The Body Politic, a chapter of The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion by Tansy E. Hoskins, newly released by Pluto Press.
This online reading group will focus on the themes introduced in this chapter, including ableism, fatphobia, sexual violence and discrimination in the fashion industry. Hoskins dissects the framing and exploitation of bodies through history, and the conflicted ‘benefits’ associated with the rise in visibility of marginalised people within fashion.
During the session the text will be displayed on screen, and we will take it in turns to read aloud, with the opportunity to interrupt and spark discussion at any point. We will provide a copy of the chapter ahead of time to anyone who books to attend, but there is no pressure to read it ahead of time.
This event is open to anyone with an interest in the subject matter. We will do our best to handle the discussion sensitively, and provide warning for any triggering language used in the text. We will not tolerate hate speech of any kind during the session, and reserve the right to eject anyone promoting transphobic rhetoric from the zoom call.
Book your free ticket below to receive the link to join the event.
“Fashion is an innately visual industry that sells itself as a creator of choice, change, and creativity. Yet it is a world devoid of variety where anyone who does not fit within its slim visual confines is rendered all but invisible. The most indicative instance of this is fashion’s approach to the size and shape of women’s bodies which this chapter echoes by primarily focusing on women’s bodies. I want to be clear that when I use the term ‘women’ in this chapter and this book, I mean all women including trans women – a transgender woman is a woman and a transgender man is a man. As catwalk imagery has proliferated and the fashion model has become an accepted beauty role model, fashion’s influence has spread far beyond just governing what people should wear. The fashion industry has very narrow rules for what it considers ‘beautiful’. Carefully policed beauty boundaries traditionally exclude anyone who is not extremely thin, tall, young, non-disabled, cisgender, and white. These confines follow structural modes of oppression which must be proactively addressed and broken down.”
– The opening of The Body Politic – chapter 6 of The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion by Tansy E. Hoskins
The Reading Room
This event is part of a weekend-long launch of The Reading Room – a library space at The NewBridge Project, and a collaborative project where people can read, learn, listen, and share ideas. We’ve linked up with other spaces across the country to create libraries stocked with thought provoking books, where reading groups and opportunities to meet authors are being established, providing resources and activities that hope to catalyse creativity, collaboration and conversation.
The organisations involved share a common goal – to support and empower people within their communities. This project has been initiated in partnership with independent publisher Pluto Press, and the Left Book Club, and over time, each local hub will develop to reflect and serve the community within which it sits, making each space responsive and unique.
As well as physical library spaces, The Reading Room will open up forums to debate local issues that affect everyday lives. Taking the lead from our communities, these topics may include inequality, the environment, precarious employment, LGBTQ+ issues, structural racism and much more.
The Wardrobe
This event is being held in partnership with The Wardrobe – a new organisation based at The NewBridge Project. The Wardrobe is a clothing resource for trans, non-binary and genderqueer people. They collect quality secondhand clothes and provide a safe space to try them on. Don’t miss their Open House event, which is also part of the launch weekend
This event is accessed remotely online.
The NewBridge Project is supported by Arts Council England, Newcastle Culture Investment Fund, Newcastle University’s Institute for Creative Arts Practice and the North of Tyne Combined Authority.
