Brendan Curtis
Brendan Curtis (he/him) is a Liverpool-based drag artist, writer, performer, poet and chef. He co-produces and hosts EAT ME, a local 3 course drag dinner cabaret, Preach! a queer disco and SPEW a scratch night for new queer work.
For his project, Brendan has created three audio poems/stories, exploring speculative future potentials for queer utopia, which celebrate crossing boundaries of the human body and gender, radical forms of love and natural species which exist outside of heterosexuality.
Brendan is open about his artistic practice, which he views as constantly shifting and evolving. He is open to conversations and feedback about his work: bcurtisburton@gmail.com
Foreword from Artist
“I wrote these over a two week period in between dog walks & deadlines. Please consider these pieces works in development – made in ‘rona times with little resources or time. These were all intended to be poems but two of them became something else.
We the People emerged out of memories of participating in radical queer communities (Nowhere Festival, Ponderosa and Queer Spirit), some hallucinogenic musings and conversations about polygamy, cults and alternative living communities throughout history with friends.
Ruby’s Dream arose out of spending time witnessing the behaviours of a small micro-poodle that exists in my care – thinking about cuteness, anthropomorphisation and the seemingly benign origins of fascist tendencies in dogs and people, in a time of great civil unrest.
Band of Gold is a pulpy, trashy piece of pervert’s sci-fi erotic fiction exploring a possible future and intersection of transness, biohacking and kink. I am mindful that in the time and climate of writing this story may seem somewhat fetishistic of trans bodies, but this is not my intention or desire; the views and opinions expressed in this piece are purely speculative and aim to celebrate the crossing of gender boundaries and human form. “
“A special thank you to:
Craig Sinclair is a renaissance man, musician (Lovecraft + Cartwheels on glass), writer, performer and artist+
Izzie Major is an actress, performer, writer and sunday school teacher – together with Craig they run Frightwig Theatre.
Dale Whitfield likes dinosaurs, batman and gnocchi.
Conway McDermott is a Liverpool based trans non-binary performer, drag artist, musician, writer and all round good egg.
Great thanks go to Conway McDermott for their beautiful reading + guidance on Band of Gold. To Elliot Miles for editorial and emotional support. To Frightwig Theatre, Craig Sinclair, Izzie Major and Dale Whitefield for their voices, and to Lloyd Gabriel and Craig again for their lovely soundtrack on We The People. To Liv for their advice. To Ruby for keeping me relatively sane in the summer of miss rona and to Faye Hamblett for being super helpful and patient, and The Royal Standard for the opportunity. Thank you!”
