‘Flikkers Revisited: Come as You Were’ wants to talk to you!
Are you part of the generation who attended Flikkers at The Hirschfeld Centre between 1979 and 1987? What was your experience of clubbing? Can you recall the music and songs you listened to? Have you got photographs, personal stories or mementoes you would be willing to share?
‘Flikkers Revisited: Come as You Were’, an exciting new art initiative by Francis Fay, is being organised as part of Age & Opportunity’s Bealtaine Festival 2022, in association with Outhouse and the Project Arts Centre.
Bealtaine is Ireland’s national festival which celebrates the arts and creativity as we age.
Age of Creativity Festival 2022, a call to action! More details in January…@MeetMeAlbany @LiveMusicNowUK @GCDanceCompany @house_memories @agescotland@LuminateScot @GwanwynAgeCymru @Age_Opp @BealtaineFest#creativeageing #culturehealth #creativelaterlife pic.twitter.com/MO24jmMg2I
— Age of Creativity (@AgeofCreativity) December 14, 2021
The legendary nightclub formed a vital part of Dublin’s LGBTQ+ scene in the late ’70s and ’80s until the Hirschfeld Centre was destroyed by fire. As well as providing a rare social space for the lesbian and gay community to come together, Flikkers (the Dutch word for ‘f****ts’) also formed an underground political statement and has gone on to inspire generations, not to mention GCN’s PROTEST! apparel.
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Francis will also be working with documentary filmmaker Julieann O’Malley to produce a video work incorporating interviews with anyone wishing to share their experiences and memories of the iconic club.
The video will be shown as part of an exhibition in May 2022. The show will also include photographs and ephemera from Flikkers. There will also be an accompanying round-table discussion, responding to issues addressed in the project.
As part of the ‘Flikkers Revisited: Come as You Were’ project Francis also plans to host a club night to try to recapture some of the unique character and charm of Flikkers. The night will feature special guest DJs from the original club who will be spinning the biggest hits from the time.
Photograph by Seán Gilmartin
Francis explains his motivations for the project. “I want this work with Bealtaine to be the start of a conversation about this generation and how it thrived during the ’80s despite HIV, AIDS, resection, emigration and how that generation have stories that need to be told… It’s to give this age group a voice and a presence and for their historical and social experiences to be acknowledged and shared.”
Fay continued, “When people just going out to a club was a political act, just congregating was a political act, basically socialising with like-minded people was a political act.”
“My hope is that the exhibition and the round-table talk to discuss some of the issues will spark a much bigger conversation about seniors in our own community and what do we want as we age in the community? Do we have to follow the heteronormative example or can we carve out our own?”
If you wish to share your memories or stories or for further details on the ‘Flikkers Revisited: Come as You Were’ project contact Francis Fay at [email protected] before February 28, 2022
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