In the 1960’s disco music was ever prevalent, and the sexual revolution began in the United States. Move on up to the 1970’s and 1980’s, and the emergence of punk and rock music came onto the scene. This allowed for a safe space for LGBTQ+ people to explore their sexualities and identities in a safe space. Underground spaces for punk, rock, electronic, and disco slowly populated by the night and gained more attraction from the public. Punk music prides itself on rejecting societal norms and exceptions, therefore queer people flocked to the punk scene. They could find a new home where their own ones weren’t safe and could forge new families. While LGBTQ+ rights have moved forward in years past, it is recent they are coming to a screeching halt. All over the United States in the past 3 years, we have seen an emergence of anti-LGBTQ+ legislations being written in and hate crimes have gone up. Necklaces and Nails is a punk band made of queer womxn that wants to be loud, proud, and speak back on the injustices being inflicted on the community. NOTE: This band is made up and NOT available to listen to)
Necklaces and Nails
The Current Legislations
All over the United States Legislations are being written into law to erase the existence of LGBTQ+ people. Necklaces and Nails uses their songs, merchandise, and over arching message as a group to fight back against these hateful laws. Where normally you would find song lyrics, you can find a small description of different ways the queer community is facing backlash. Click the button below to read more.
My goal was to create merchandise for LGTBQ+ fans that didn’t have a rainbow and felt like something you would really want to wear. It needed to transcend just being merchandise to promote the band Necklaces and Nails. It is handmade clothing with a purpose. I thrifted each piece to reuse materials around me, and I got crafty with creating on a budget. Using iron-on transfer proved to be successful and a labor of love.
Merchandise
A full-fledged photoshoot ended up being a key part of this project. To keep my shoot harmonious, I chose the outfits, hair, makeup, and I told my members how to pose along the way. Thanks to the help of my lovely models, it came together looking like a real punk band. To show off the range of photos, below you can find a slideshow of the best of the best. The overall feel is sultry, sexy, but rough around the edges. An important thing to note as well, is that all of models are a part of LGTBQ+ community in real life. It is very important to use queer individuals for queer projects to have accurate representation.
Photoshoot
This project was for my capstone as a senior graduate from Iowa State University. I had an entire semester to create a self-led project with many elements and moving parts. As a non-binary lesbian myself and full-time music lover, this project was born out of activism and a passion for change. I presented this alongside 78 of my peers, and I had a 10ft x 10ft space to display my work. It was important to keep in mind the flow of my exhibition, so folks could easily walk in and out of my booth. I had stickers and fridge magnets made for free take-a-ways along with my business cards. To make everything come together and become more real, I had a signed guitar, a painted speaker, vinyls, and music playing from my record player.
Exhibition Day
You May Enjoy…
