This Other Eden
Munroe Bergdorf, Bimini Bon Boulash, Parma Ham, image courtesy of Luke Nugent
Over 25 LGBTQ+ creatives and allies from the worlds of music, fashion and arts will feature in a new limited-edition digital portrait series, by British photographer Luke Nugent, released for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022.
Model and activist, Munroe Bergdorf, British drag queen, author, and model Bimini Bon Boulash, upcoming DJ and child of Fatboy Slim and Zoe Ball, Woody Cook, and DJ Fat Tony, are just some of the cultural trailblazers taking part in the project, which aims to shape a historic record of queer culture in the UK at this moment of national celebration.
The project is the brainchild of the creative studio, Temporal Shift in association with Palm NFT Studio and Nifty’s with 50% of the proceeds from the sale to be donated to The Outside Project, the UK’s first permanent centre and shelter for homeless LGBTIQ+ individuals.
Inspired by legendary English artist, filmmaker and gay rights activist Derek Jarman’s cult classic film Jubilee (1978), a now iconic cinematic reaction to the spectacle of state jubilation, the This Other Eden collection celebrates the creative force of queer culture in the UK in 2022.
The Queen’s Jubilee, 1977, marked tumultuous sociopolitical change; subcultural movements, such as Punk, embraced individual freedoms and anti-establishment views whilst yielding space for unheard stories, the first glimpse of a queer new world in emergence. Although much has changed since this period, this collection showcases the spirit of rebellion and artistic expression through today’s creative landscape.
The collection will launch the creative studio, Temporal Shift, founded by Fayann Smith and Jim Warboy. The studio harnesses groundbreaking technology to power innovative creative production and produce immersive client experiences. Much like This Other Eden, Temporal
Shift is dedicated to projects that platform the unique and diverse range of artists that live and work in the UK, whilst supporting communities vital to them.
Sale proceeds will be donated to London’s LGBTIQ+ Community Shelter, Centre and Domestic Abuse Refuge, The Outside Project. During Winter 2021, the project supported over 60 LGBTIQ+ people into crisis beds and many more through their LGBTIQ+ Centre and outreach in the community. Not only does the charity provide a dedicated site for emergency shelter and refuge, its community centre also acts as a focal point for queer connection and self expression. Despite the difficulties encountered by many of those who access the service, The Outside Project stands as a testament to the importance and resilience of queer joy.
The NFTs will be available to purchase from the 9th June. The limited edition portraits will be sold at prices ranging from £250 to several thousands. The pieces will also be exhibited on the evening of the 9th June at a London gallery. Because the NFTS will be minted on the Palm network, minting each NFT will only require the same amount of energy as sending three emails, fulfilling the creators’ requirement that This Other Eden be environmentally sustainable.
Jim Warboy and Fayann Smith, Founders of Temporal Shift, said: “At the eve of the Queen’s platinum jubilee, British identity is in flux, the tradition and social order the monarchy represent is juxtaposed with a nation embattled by rapid economic and cultural change. The surety of our monolithic institutions and shared ideals has fractured, defining a new landscape, where the wealth gap and the friction of polarised political discourse has shattered any illusion of a unified country.”
“Taking advantage of the spotlight that the Jubilee will shine upon the shifts and disruptions in our culture, Temporal Shift eschews the celebratory fizz of the occasion to explore a deeper narrative about the tensions and joys that exist at the fringe of mainstream culture. This Other Eden documents another kind of royalty, the innovators of queer creativity, a force that so often informs the zeitgeist, but whose heroes remain unsung.”
Curator, Alana Lake, said: “This Other Eden rides the wave of the 4th Industrial revolution with an NFT drop that harnesses the combined strengths of visual art and technology to raise awareness and garner support for The Outside Project. This is a distinctly modern style of activism. What we are witnessing here is a temporal shift in consciousness, a ‘coming together’ through advancing technologies, facilitated by new revenue streams, as we mobilise and explore a range of creative solutions in search of a brighter, happier and healthier future driven by a more collective and mindful ‘us’.”
Carla Ecola, Director of The Outside Project, said: “We are hugely thankful for the support of the creative community in raising funds and awareness for this vital cause. The Outside Project exists to make space for those in the queer community impacted by homelessness and domestic abuse. The LGBTIQ+ community needs to have secure identity responsive spaces on the city map that aren’t just connected to nightlife, and our organisation seeks to support the creation of basic housing and healthcare provisions for our community.”
Mark Moore, of S’Express, said: “Having been homeless when I was a teenager I am more than happy to be involved with something as important as The LGBTIQ+ Outside Project.”
Director and actress, Jeanie Crystal, said: “Thinking about methods to distribute wealth to those that need it the most should be one of society’s main priorities.”
Model, Winn Austin, said: “If home is where the heart is then The Outside Project is the beating heart, the core, to those who benefits from its services”
Temporal Shift is a new creative studio and cultural platform, founded by Jim Warboy and Fayann Smith, harnessing groundbreaking technology to power innovative creative direction and production. As the world becomes increasingly conscious of the potential of a new frontier of technology and its application within arts and culture, businesses have been incentivised to explore emerging mediums and reassess the experiences and services they can offer. Temporal Shift supports its clients by devising concepts that bring bleeding edge tech out of the abstract and into user-friendly immersive experiences and high quality products for mainstream audiences.