Celebrating Queer Nightlife: A Photo Book's Defence of Culture-Shaping Snapshots

AI Summary

A new photo book, 'Sex, Clubs, Dissent: Visualising Queer Nightlife', showcases snapshots of queer nightlife from the 1960s to today, highlighting the culture-shaping role of cheeky photographs taken inside and after clubs.

Celebrating Queer Nightlife Through Photography

A new photo book titled 'Sex, Clubs, Dissent: Visualising Queer Nightlife' offers a striking defence of the culture-shaping role of snapshots taken inside and after queer clubs. Edited by writer and London dancefloor regular Amelia Abraham, the anthology takes an expansive view of nightlife photography from the 1960s until today.

The Book's Diverse Collection

The book features contributions from artists such as Wolfgang Tillmans, Sunil Gupta, and Kia LaBeija, showcasing a wide range of nightlife photography. The image selection is cacophonous, ranging from film stills and studio portraits to Grindr screenshots, taking readers on a nonlinear dance through scenes of queer sociality.

A Platform for Marginalized Voices

The book aims to rebalance the history of queer nightlife, which has often focused on white gay men. The cover features a 1978 photo by Meryl Meisler, 'Two Women Embrace on Floor Next to Jupiter's Legs, Les Mouches, NY', highlighting the intention to include marginalized voices.

A Celebration of Queer Expression

The book includes a generous selection of images from Del LaGrace Volcano's archive, documenting meetings of leather-clad lesbians in London, as well as never-before-published photos from two trans community archives in Mexico City and Buenos Aires.