I showed three pieces in The Hairpin Drop-In Centre, and the title of the exhibition points to the links between the works on show. "To drop a hairpin" means to drop hints about one's homosexuality. All the pieces in this show are about sexuality and language in some way.

The Homophobic Alphabet and In the Department explore homosexuality in Western culture by exploring euphemism and labelling, and News of the World focuses on 'third gender' and presents alternative viewpoints.

These pieces were shown alongside reading material related to the topics in the work, available to the viewer on a reading table in the centre of the show. The methods of display, and elements such as the carpet and the furniture, created a friendly 'institutional look' to the space - transforming the gallery into a fictional drop-in centre.

Essay: "The Imaginary Institutions of Society: Lyn Löwenstein and the Facelifters" by Louise Milne

 

Special Thanks go to Jasmin Bode, Davide Metzger, Tris Bayley, Lesley Young, Steve Dale, Louise Milne, John Macgregor, Kate Anderson, Sarah Munro and all the staff at the Collective Gallery.

The Hairpin Drop-In Centre
Collective Gallery, Edinburgh 1999