Join us for “Much To Be Done” at 3:30PM and 5:30PM on Sun 12th Sept at 10th floor, Multistorey Car Park, 95a Rye Lane, London SE15 4TG.
Our free pop-up performances at Bold Tendencies in Peckham on the weekend of the now cancelled London Pride 2021 link directly back to the Stonewall riots in 1969.
Bold Tendencies is a not-for-profit organisation based at the former Peckham Multi-Storey Car Park which produces an annual programme of visual art, live music, dance and opera. Bold Tendencies is a committed supporter of the LGBT+ community and the car park was home for our first few in-person rehearsals as we eased ourselves out of lockdown.
The rooftop, where we will be performing, is home to the billboard artwork “Untitled” (1989) by Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1967-1996). First displayed in Sheridan Square in New York across from the Stonewall Inn, “Untitled” is a commemoration of the Stonewall Uprising that followed a police raid on the bar in 1969, sparking widespread demonstrations in response to human rights injustices and the lack of government action surrounding the AIDS epidemic. In 1989 an estimated 200,000 participants in the Gay and Lesbian Liberation Day March passed in front of this billboard. This work has an enduring power and relevance as a symbol for inclusive civic values and the celebration of free public space in the city.
Gonzalez-Torres participated in hundreds of group shows across the world during his lifetime. Working during the height of the AIDS crisis, his work motivates social action by conveying subjects of love and loss, sickness and rejuvenation, gender and sexuality.
Performing in the context of “Untitled” will magnify the voices of our choir, deepening the historical context in which our songs will be heard. Not only will this create unity between different times and struggles, celebrating the artistic achievements of those who have battled against oppression and loss in their lives due to their sexuality; but in particular it will amplify the call by London Pride for a national AIDS memorial to remember those who died from the virus and those who cared for them.
Taking part in this year’s LGBT+ festival will be one of our first public performances since January 2020. As well as giving our second performance of Much To Be Done (the finale of Iain Bell’s opera Stonewall, specially arranged for The Pink Singers), we will be performing a number of old favourites and new uplifting songs that resonate with the LGBT+ community and living authentically.
The weekend of 11-12 September will now see different community groups, pop up events and parades come together to celebrate pride across the city and provide an opportunity for the LGBT+ community to be visible, to light our voices and do so in unity and safety.