This short course encourages students to learn cake decorating skills whilst embracing and interrogating LGBT language in relation to names and labels.  The course is led by artist Lucille Power.

 

We are using the medium of cake decorating to explore perceptions, language and labels used to describe LGBT people and their lives.  As we learn different ways to decorate cakes, we discuss the power of words.  This will lead to us creating an art-work of cakes iced with words and images we have collected over this short course, which we will invite students and staff to share with us, encouraging people to eat their words.

 

Session 1 saw us working with glace icing, to create base-layers on cakes, and learning different methods of mixing colours into icing. 

 

After an initial introduction to and overview of icing types and uses for different design outcomes, we got practical, and created a lot of mess mixing icing, experimenting with colour and consistency, all crucial in the process of icing cakes.

 

We then looked at the different shaped nozzles available, and learnt how to load up our piping bag, before we tried piping icing onto a guide sheet.  The students all worked really hard, and made excellent progress with piping.  Each student took home the cake they decorated. 

 

In Session 2 we concentrated on sugarpaste icing.  Traditionally used for modelling, we tried colouring it, rolling it out, and then experimented with simple modelling, which we will dry to use on our final cakes.  We also tried out different ways of creating letters and words out of sugarpaste. 

 

That week we looked more specifically at language in relation to LGBT people and issues.  We discussed homophobic language, challenging it, and how unchallenged homophobic language can lead to bullying and an oppressive environment.  We also looked at 'reclaiming' language.  Students had differing views of how successful this has been, and we agreed that it depends on context as to how a word is understood or received. 

 

Looking to Session 3, our final session, we began to think about sharing our work.  Given the nature of LGBT names and labels, it is possible that our cakes may get a reaction from people we offer them to, and could provoke discussion.  We talked a bit about how we might deal with this. 

 

Blog final/part 2

This drop in course had a diverse range of students over the three weeks.  Two of the group were women, and three were men.  Three were born in the uk, and two were from Poland and South Africa.  One student was afro-caribbean, and one was dual-heritage Philipino-British. For most, English was their declared first language.  They ranged in age from twenty two to sixty five years old.  The group was friendly, which was especially notable because attendees varied each week.  Some of the students were able to attend all sessions.  Others were unable to commit to full attendance due to personal circumstances beyond their control.            

                                                                                                 

All students seemed to appreciate the small, friendly environment of the class, and were supportive of one another.      

   

   

 Photos from the 'Eat Your Words' event at Morley College, Wednesday 12th February 2014.