Council House Movie Star: Que(e)rying the Costume. Issue 1 (1st October 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Edward, Mark
• Is Part Of: Scene. Volume 2:Issue 1/2(2014)
• Page Start: 147
• Page End: 153
• Publication Date: 2014-10-01
• Subjects: Design -- Periodicals; Visual communication -- Periodicals; Performing arts -- Periodicals; 792
• DOI: 10.1386/scene.2.1-2.147_1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2044-3714

Abstract

Council House Movie Star (2012) originally started as a film enquiry exploring what happens when drag queens age, both off stage and onstage. The research expanded to include two further practice projects: an immersive gallery installation of a life-size council house and a fine art exhibition of the naked and costumed drag body. This article examines the quotidian experiences of a white working-class drag hero/ine and the costumed genderqueered skin. It discusses the queer costume of drag queens, including make-up and wigs. The article also explores the position of memory within the formation of costume for performance as a major theme within the creative processes and design of this project. This visual essay narrates the positioning of drag queens within the social realities of working-class life, thus producing an interesting contrast between the costume of chavs, B-boys and contemporary youth, against the queer and camp drag costume.