{"id":51347,"title":"The Power of The Pansy","description":"The story of how a T-shirt commemorating The Pansy Project managed to get into the Manchester Art Gallery.","content":"

\"gtkm3j5yikooackxfb5s0lcpcqqf1068sodi9lrouicetpcn.jpg.jpg?w=1140&project=birds-can-fly-107914&v=2\"Above, modelling The Pansy Project Tee in Yellow, exclusively available at <\/em><\/strong>Manchester Art Gallery.<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

I\u2019ve always been fascinated by merchandise. Whenever I wander through museum and gallery gift shops, I wonder how those products \u2014 from T-shirt to jigsaw puzzle \u2014 came to be, and whether the artist had any say in how their work was presented. This new T-shirt, made exclusively with Manchester Art Gallery, is uniquely entwined with Manchester, The Pansy Project, and the wider LGBTQ+ community.<\/p>

\"ukppw6sdz330ykr8e8tzcx31yswhqwvjpvuc4txsjl5lnuoj.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"Above, the first installation of \u2018Pansy!\u2019 at Manchester Art Gallery in 2005.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

I began The Pansy Project <\/u><\/a>twenty years ago in Manchester. Since then, I have marked incidents of homophobia and transphobia around the world by planting pansies at more than 300 sites. Some respond to flippant comments, others to violent crimes. Sometimes I share the details, sometimes I don\u2019t \u2014 but each planting is an act of resistance, a way to spark conversations about life outside the heteronormative majority.\u00a0<\/p>

\"azpqeqf5mdvxuim8ldezapcnm9cp4nqepaeifmzmwhttbia4.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"Above, <\/em>\u201cWe\u2019re gonna bash you up,!\u201d Bloom Street, Manchester planted for Liquorice Black in 2015.<\/strong><\/p>

The project has since taken the form of installations, exhibitions, events and even a book<\/u><\/a>. Whatever I\u2019ve made, it has always been intended to ask audiences to reflect on the nature of homophobia and transphobia, and what we can learn about ourselves through it.<\/p>

\"p2tb4rmazwmnkydzeh1evl56s2cnyi0e2kqlwlosnmgkjgc7.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"In 2020, I was due to travel to Antwerp for their queer arts festival. When the pandemic cancelled those plans, I adapted, by drawing a pansy (above) and turning it into a sticker for the sites I couldn\u2019t visit. That drawing has since been adapted for several T-shirt designs, including this one. Below from top left ; the pansy \u2018paste-up\u2019 placed at a location in Antwerp. Top right, the pansy \u2018paste-up\u2019 placed at a location in Bristol, bottom left, modelling a previous version of the illustration on a T-shirt<\/u><\/a>. Bottom left, the half-tone design.<\/p>

\"fmiouzas22uk7czttfwbgrpy2lribf4rq1t8lu7i0aj9wcoe.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"<\/p>

\"lkcrn2bgxhks5iuxpzhjqbx6v9nphde50ezaaczdoglvzumg.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"Above, <\/em><\/strong>Huddersfield Screenprinting Co<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a> screen-printing in progress.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

And so to this new design. I\u2019ve written before about the joy I felt when I saw the amazing Cheddar Gorgeous wearing their outfit on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race inspired by The Pansy Project; below is an excerpt: Full essay here.<\/u><\/a><\/p>

\"w6z0g6dvlgwhxvtt9sidxbuztksfa1aogt0biwsx90p6ekjp.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"\u201cI was watching live when Cheddar wore the dress inspired by The Pansy Project. I had no idea it was coming \u2014 it was a complete and utter surprise \u2014 and I was touched when I discovered the dress was made by Liquorice Black... I\u2019d seen the dress online, but seeing it in real life had a huge impact on me. The detail of the construction was surprisingly moving, and the conversations and reflections in the gallery echoed my own planting tours. Manchester was where The Pansy Project was born; the gallery was where I had first showcased the project. This overlaying of memory, place, and meaning speaks to the nature of The Pansy Project.\u201d<\/p>

\"k8wls3jghngf6wwmjmqwgbzxgiwsmdyccw8mitrdk9uo1joi.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"When I heard Manchester Art Gallery would be exhibiting the pansy dress, I wrote the essay<\/u><\/a> above and the Manchester Art Gallery and I began discussing a T-shirt for the gallery gift shop. Long term collaborator, Huddersfield Screenprinting Co<\/u><\/a> were keen to produce a screen print from my original drawing, I traced the drawing on Illustrator and after a back-and-forth, we settled on this one colour half-tone design, it\u2019s paired back and minimal and is very pleasing with a gentle nod to the yellow of the dress. The Pansy Project logo is neatly placed in the same colour and all is placed on a buttermilk-yellow T-shirt and all is produced sustainably.<\/p>

\"zkgzrzjzcuad009oliehrguyw5cahpqpgicpxzdo93md8c4h.jpg.jpg?w=1140&v=2\"Above, \u201cDon\u2019t ask that guy \u2013 he wants to hang them all!\u201d \u2013 President Trump comments on Vice Presidents views on gay rights. White House, Washington D.C. Planted in 2018.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

As with all my pansy merchandise<\/u><\/a>, the idea is simple: if someone asks about it, you can share the story. You don\u2019t have to, but if you do, you help carry this work and the conversation it sparks into the world \u2014 and you become an accidental ambassador for The Pansy Project.<\/u><\/a><\/p>","urlTitle":"the-power-of-the-pansy","url":"\/blog\/the-power-of-the-pansy\/","editListUrl":"\/my-blogs","editUrl":"\/my-blogs\/edit\/the-power-of-the-pansy\/","fullUrl":"https:\/\/birdscanflystore.com\/blog\/the-power-of-the-pansy\/","featured":false,"published":true,"showOnSitemap":true,"hidden":false,"visibility":null,"createdAt":1755100205,"updatedAt":1755257650,"publishedAt":1755257649,"lastReadAt":null,"division":{"id":107566,"name":"Birds Can Fly"},"tags":[],"metaImage":{"original":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rckg3zaqnyxlaf8nmccoc3pxkwqfqbwdb2w7c5rdfklu3krt.jpeg","thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rckg3zaqnyxlaf8nmccoc3pxkwqfqbwdb2w7c5rdfklu3krt.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/rckg3zaqnyxlaf8nmccoc3pxkwqfqbwdb2w7c5rdfklu3krt.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"metaTitle":"The Power of The Pansy","metaDescription":"The story of how a T-shirt commemorating The Pansy Project managed to get into the Manchester Art Gallery.","keyPhraseCampaignId":null,"series":[],"similarReads":[{"id":9902,"title":"Stories Behind the Designs","url":"\/blog\/the-story-of-birds-can-fly\/","urlTitle":"the-story-of-birds-can-fly","division":107566,"description":"The journey from drawing to garment.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/logdy9wz68ihyajfcrhjcrncc3nxc9tms1c6yx9jculeotz6.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/logdy9wz68ihyajfcrhjcrncc3nxc9tms1c6yx9jculeotz6.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":13806,"title":"A Year of Birds Can Fly Clothing","url":"\/blog\/reflecting-on-a-year-of-birds-can-fly\/","urlTitle":"reflecting-on-a-year-of-birds-can-fly","division":107566,"description":"The highs, the lows and the challenges of being a solo entrepreneur.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/8g18drb24plchfnuyaz32wfyrfwygwpneou6h39eqt6apdsk.png.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/8g18drb24plchfnuyaz32wfyrfwygwpneou6h39eqt6apdsk.png.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0},{"id":17631,"title":"Queer as a Coot","url":"\/blog\/queer-as-a-coot\/","urlTitle":"queer-as-a-coot","division":107566,"description":"Reflections on my drawing of the coot and the phrase that it is associated with.","published":true,"metaImage":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/g2hexhsdc5tbqaem63cochzlszqpg7u23avq9fkvskoilnof.jpeg.jpg?w=1140&h=855","banner":"https:\/\/images.podos.io\/g2hexhsdc5tbqaem63cochzlszqpg7u23avq9fkvskoilnof.jpeg.jpg?w=1920&h=1440"},"hidden":0}],"labels":[]}