Portraits of a Queen – is a series of around thirty historical photographs, produced by Leeds College of Art Photography Workshop Manager and Photographer/Photographic Artist Paul Bennett-Todd; taken at the ‘SpeedQueen’ night at the Warehouse Club in Leeds.
A selection of images from his series were exhibited at the College recently. Portraits of a Queen represent a snapshot of the venue at the highly acclaimed and vibrant club night - ‘SpeedQueen’ from the period 2002 to 2003.
Karen Tobias-Green, who works at Leeds College of Art with Bennett-Todd, wrote a critical review of his series Portraits of a Queen, which has now been published in the international publication JAWS (Journal of Arts Writing by Students) in January 2015. This is her second academic research paper to be published as part of her PhD, which she is currently studying for. Karen teaches Research Methods on the MA Creative Practice at Leeds College of Art and also supports both undergraduate and postgraduate students with dyslexia in one-to-one tutorials. Karen’s main interest is in promoting writing as part of creative practice. She also writes for the Yorkshire Art Journal, interviewing artists about their work, and is developing her practice as a fiction writer.
The publication is available for download online and an abstract from the article is below.
http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Article,id=18724/
Karen has also been published in Glasgow School of Art’s peer reviewed journal Art Design and Communication in Higher Education, for her article; The role of the agreement: Art students, dyslexia, reading and writing The article references the work that Leeds College of Art do in supporting the writing development of art undergraduates with dyslexia.
Tobias-Green, K. (2015)’Portraits of a Queen: the photography of Paul Bennett- Todd’, Journal of Arts Writing by Students, 1:1, pp. 85-89, doi:10.1386/jaws.1.1.85_1
Portraits of a Queen: The photography of Bennett-Todd
Karen Tobias Green, Sheffield Hallam University and Leeds College of Art
Abstract:
This historical series of photographs, produced by the photographer Paul Bennett-Todd, selects from the period 2002–03 thirty images taken at the SpeedQueen night at the Warehouse Club in Leeds. Bennett-Todd has presented this snapshot of the venue at the apex of its vibrancy and popularity; clientele at their self-assured peak. An energetic and inclusive event, SpeedQueen embodied in its walls an almost poetic celebration of sexuality, transgender, class, race and age. SpeedQueen ran at the Warehouse from 1997 to 2006, capturing the culture and colours of the new millennium where people, environment and music combined. Like Wigan casino and Manchester’s Hacienda, SpeedQueen (appearing originally as ‘Vague at the Warehouse’ between 1993 and 1999) occupies an almost mythological place in queer subculture’s own folklore.
