“This was a unique learning opportunity for our participants to be trained and supported to design and print fabric for costumes. For many, it was a positive and rewarding introduction to further education and a new creative skill.”

Heads Bodies Legs is a multidisciplinary arts collective rooted in community, heritage, and advocacy. Founded by Ray Malone, the collective blends theatre, performance, costume, and craft to explore decolonial narratives and queer histories through participatory and site-specific work. With a strong focus on intergenerational dialogue, identity, and place, the company creates space for marginalised voices to be heard and celebrated.

Through the BIG Growth Innovation Voucher programme, Heads Bodies Legs delivered Uncanny Waters, a powerful new project engaging LGBTQIA+ participants under 30 and over 50 in a series of costume and textile workshops. The project explored the symbolic role of water and transformation in queer heritage, inviting participants to create garments inspired by folklore, memory, and personal identity.

A key strand of the project was a collaboration with UAL, who hosted and facilitated four all-day silk screen printing workshops at Wimbledon College of Arts. Participants were supported to develop personal designs based on queer artefacts from their lives, which were then printed onto fabric and used in the construction of their final costume or textile pieces.

Of the fourteen participants, thirteen attended the workshops, with eleven having no prior screen printing experience. Led by costume designer Lu Firth and supported by UAL technicians, participants were guided through the full process: from concept and research to printing and garment creation. UAL generously provided studio access and fabric, ensuring the workshops were both accessible and professional.

“This was a unique learning opportunity for our participants to be trained and supported to design and print fabric for costumes. For many, it was a positive and rewarding introduction to further education and a new creative skill. The training was perfect, and the opportunity to work in a UAL print studio was immense.” Heads Bodies Legs said.

The workshops not only elevated the creative outcomes of the project, but offered participants a rare and empowering experience of higher education settings. Many expressed a desire for further training in screen printing, highlighting the long-term impact of the collaboration. 

An exhibition of the final costume work is also planned, with continued support from UAL beyond the funding period. The collaboration exemplifies the impact of creative investment in community-led arts, and the BIG Growth programme has played a key role in helping this work flourish.

About the BIG Programme

Backed by the UK government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and led by London South Bank University (LSBU), the BIG, Business Innovation Growth Programme, is here to help you unlock your full potential.

This dynamic initiative is split into four tailored clusters, each focused on high-growth sectors: Health & Life Sciences, Net Zero & Nature, Experience & Visitor Economy and Creative & Digital. The programme welcomes start-ups, SME’s and community-interest companies in the following London boroughs: Croydon, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Richmond, Southwark, Sutton, and Wandsworth. Find out more.