The High Heel
Words and handkerchief by Sarina Barnes
Outlaw Feminism:
A Manifesto
We control the gaze
Our ‘nature’ is physical and digital
We relinquish likeability
We choose authenticity over attachment
We embrace the shadow
We dedicate ourselves to passion
We rejoice in sensuality
We honour the sun and moon tides
We set the world on fire
We reject ideology in all forms, especially this manifesto.
This artwork is part of The Wall of Sexual Heroes, a collaborative textile art piece featured in our previous exhibition at the Horse Hospital (2022) and Bow Arts Lab (2023). All embroidered, printed and appliquėd handkerchiefs celebrate unsung heroes of sexual emancipation, activism and innovation.
The Wall is an organic work. If you would like to contribute, please get in touch with The Keeper.
More tales of Sexual Heroes>
KEEPER’S NOTES: This bona varding, swishing Molly will not fail to turn your oysters up.
A cross-dressing milkman who regularly visited the city's many molly houses, Gabriel was convicted and hanged for the act of sodomy in 1726. Gabriel’s close friend, the potter Thomas Tyler, created the original work in tribute to his life and spirit.
The figurine of Gabriel is now lovingly remade by third-generation makers in Stoke-on-Trent. It portrays Gabriel in classic Rococo style, imitating delicate pastoral designs favoured by the famous Bow Porcelain Factory. Assembled by hand and decorated using traditional techniques, each piece is unique in its finishing.
*Limited edition
READ GABRIEL'S STORY