In 2019, I attended Sheffield artist Yuen Fong Ling’s TOWARDS MEMORIAL at Yorkshire Artspace. This exhibition introduced me to the queer socialist writer, poet and activist Edward Carpenter (1844–1929). Yuen explained his re-making of the sandals Carpenter wore in 1892 when homosexuality was illegal. He gifted them to contemporary activists who aim to commission a permanent public memorial to Carpenter in Sheffield city centre. When worn, these sandals became a dynamic form of public memorial. I saw the postcards of Carpenter and his partner that Yuen and his own partner had worn in their shoes for months on display. What they stood on was what they stood for.
We Are The Monument, on now at Graves Gallery, follows The Empty Plinth (2022), Yuen's film documenting workshops, rehearsals and public performances exploring the decolonisation of public space in Sheffield. This new exhibition continues to examine the people and power that have shaped our collective histories.
