As many of you would have seen from my posts, Grandad passed away on Saturday 29th July at 3pm, surrounded by his children, my Mum cuddling him as he exited stage left.

I’ve been mouthing off about fatness for sometime now and I’ve made heaps of work about my chub as a result. I’ve made documentaries about it, short films, presented cult fat beauty pageants and even spent 24 hours giving out anti-fat shaming cards on the London Underground.

2017 marks the 50th year since the partial decriminalisation of sex between men in England and Wales - Essex based artist Scottee is using this anniversary to focus on the lives of two trailblazers who set the then sleepy fishing village of Wivenhoe alight.

As part of Planet B festival in Peterborough next month I am setting up a temporary queer eco-commune (read all about that here). The wider programme has some brilliant events, talks, interventions and activisms! One of these is The Precariat - a paper full of brilliant conversation kick starters, heres an article I've written about eco-products and class. See you at the festival?

In February this year my local arts space, Focal Point Gallery asked me whether I'd like to mark LGBTQIA* history month with them. We held one of my dinner debates and from this we learnt that many queer and trans* folk in our town felt they lacked a sense of community, of visibility.

As part of Planet B festival, from the 7th - 12th August three caravans will claim their place on Metal Peterborough'’s car park. Inside them six queer artists will live, work and make together - they include Elena Colman, Chardine Taylor Stone, James Unsworth, Vijay Patel, Michael Segalov and Scottee.

Last Saturday I began my year-long residency in Peterborough with arts organisation Metal, looking at radical queerness and the curation of a more forward facing LGBTQIA* community. As with the start of all of my projects I’ve begun with a community conversation - these have become nicknamed the Dinner Debates. I’ve used them to develop projects like Putting Words in Your Mouth, Bravado, You Are Not Alone and the Working Class Dinner Party. The offer is simple - I ask a geographic location a polarising question with the promise of food and beer.

As you know this year has been given the catch title of ‘50th Year Since Partial Decriminalisation of Sex Between Men in England & Wales’

It means everyone has gone gay ...and the other letters of the acronymed community. Amongst the celebrations, ever the party pooper I have two major events on Pride London weekend that I want you to know about.

‘YOU ARE NOT ALONE’ is a new temporary commission by Southend-based artist Scottee that marks fifty years since the partial decriminalisation of sex between men in England and Wales. Installed on both sides of the railway bridge spanning the width of Southend High Street, the commission will be visible for half a mile along the town’s main thoroughfare.

Many of you will know or know of my Grandad. Some of you will know him because I talk about him alot - he’s a big personality and to not talk about him would do him a disservice. Some of you will remember him from a project we worked on together titled Liam Gallagher is my Grandad in which I taught Grandad how to make art in an attempt to discuss ageism in the artworld and beyond.

A chance to chat about work away from your laptop, share knowledge and spread gossip. Somewhere between a forum, Neighbourhood Watch meeting and a 12 step plan.

The more honest I become in how I present myself to the world, finding courage to be braver and wear the clothes I feel myself in, the more the world points, laughs and takes sly photographs of me.

As part of Planet B festival in Peterborough this year we'll be running a temporary eco-queer arts commune from a car park! 6 queer artists will live, work and barter their work in exchange for food. We require 3 caravans for them to sleep in!

Hey Weirdos, you might have seen that this year I am working loads across three locations in the UK - Peterborough, Southend and Wales. Over the past year (and for the next 12 months) I’ve meeting meeting LGBTQIA* folk across these locations - we’ve been drinking tea, eating cake and talking about what it is to be LGBTQIA* in the UK 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of sex between men in England and Wales.

In 2015 Peterborough was listed as being one of the UK’s worst locations for online homophobia*, the city does not have a dedicated LGBTQIA* space and for a city with a population of over 183,000 I want to find out why. Today I begin a year long residency at Metal Peterborough to create, curate, develop and encourage queer and trans* cultural events, community dinners and performances. The residency will also include a temporary eco-commune for queer artists living, growing, thinking and making together - more on that next month!

Focal Point Gallery is pleased to present ‘YOU ARE NOT ALONE’, a temporary public artwork commissioned specifically for Southend High Street’s railway bridge by Southend-based artist Scottee. Installed on either side of the suspended metal bridge, the commission will be visible for a half mile along the town’s main thoroughfare.

The local theatres in Southend think Scottee’s work is “very community” and have stopped answering their fax machines. Instead of sulking he is opening up his living room for four nights of award winning queer performance!

There’s a trend happening in the arts, a trend that no one dare to call a trend because it might expose them for not really caring as much as they think they do. For not being the publicly funded Lady Di of theatre they think they are - it’s called socially engaged practice.

A nomadic, arty, talk thing for Southend artists, makers and fakers.

A chance to chat about work away from your laptop, share knowledge and spread gossip. Somewhere between a forum, Neighbourhood Watch meeting and a 12 step plan.