How to dis/appear publicly: field trip and writing queer sites in Geelong

Workshop #2: How to dis/appear publicly; field trip and writing queer sites in Geelong

LAB artists Briony Galligan and Mel Deerson present a site-based workshop in Geelong as part of their public program for The Question of Angels.

In this workshop, we will walk to and visit the exterior of St Mary of the Angels, a site of protest for Geelong Gay Liberation in 1975 and another site TCB. 

Using both angels and the physical sites as imaginative structures, we will test out ideas of ‘fieldwork’. We will start from a series of physical and material observations at the sites. What does it feel like to be there? What does it sound like? What does it smell like? What textures can we touch? How do our bodies respond in these spaces? Does the murmur of our bodies hum with or interrupt what we know of the site?

This workshop is suitable for anyone who is interested in writing; no experience is necessary. Ages 18+, all are welcome to attend.

“I’m thinking about being queer and how that was invisible for me for a long time but still probably there, and what does it mean to have an invisible thing beside you or inside you like a soul or desire, and what interferes with its messages and how does it transmit within or through or to me or others. What is the difference between being transparent and being immaterial and how does this relate to my sneaky avoidant tendencies and comfort in being alone and therefore unobserved… How does this relate to obedience or lack thereof, when you commit your sins invisibly? This is on my mind.”

Image: Mel Deerson and Briony Galligan, Angel where are you, drawing, 2022