Notes on Speakers

PART TWO ART INTO POP : TERRITOTIES AND IDENTITIES

AJAMU
His talk will concentrate on the dynamics of cross dressing and representation. Using examples such as Ice T, Ajamu will look at role play and identity in his own work in contrast to the roles and images appropriated in popular culture and its personae. This survey will also touch upon the status and politics of Ajamu's work as fine art.
Ajamu is internationally renowned for his challenging work around black gay male identity. His work is currently touring the country and he showed last year at the Mois de Photo in Aries, France.

ZAHID DAR
Based on his recent thesis, Zahid will talk about the appropriation of cultural icons in music videos to signify and glamourize sexual orientation and identity for the viewers who have been categorised through the market research of the distributors. Referencing Boy George's Bow Down Mister, Apache Indian's Arranged Marriage and Michael Jackson's Black or White Zahid will look at the particular representations and subversions of stereotypes in the context of each of the performer's political/sexual agendas.
Zahid Dar is a dancer and filmmaker who has worked in community arts over the last five years.

MATTHEW R. LEWIS
Matthew's photographs are featured regularly in the gay and style press. As a photographer he is committed to the presentation of sexuality and identity implicit in the presentation of the body within images. However, the brief can often interfere with his provocative and honest approach to the documentation of gay icons which also form the bulk of his own personal work. He will talk about the restrictions of representation within particular press and will show some of the work that never got past the picture editors.
Matthew has contributed to iD, Gay Times, Attitude, Skin Two, For Women and Frieze. He also has an impressive portfolio of portraiture including Malcolm Maclaren, Gilbert and George and David Cronenberg.

KODWO ESHUN
Using his extensive experience of the music industry and as a freelance journalist,  Kodwo will speak around issues of identity and rejection of particular identity groups within rap, techno, ragga, dub and jungle music. This will be referenced in particular relation to the visual presentation of rap music in video.
Kodwo has written for The Guardian, Wire, is music editor for Modern Review and contributing editor to I.D. He is currently writing a book on the relationship between science fiction and techno music.