Fine Art duo subverts the Gentlemen’s Club | Degree Show Stories

"We're looking at these male-dominated spaces that are hidden from certain people, like us," Ella explained. "We're looking at that and the absurdity of it, and creating something that's a bit chaotic and wacky." 

The pair went further than simply recreating the aesthetic of a private members' club; they inserted themselves directly into it. They dressed as their own alter-ego ‘gentlemen’ in tailored suits and immortalised themselves as scanned busts displayed on plinths in the style of museum artefacts. As a result, Anya and Ella playfully took the place usually reserved for the club's idolised male figures.

"We're playing on the idea of gentlemen in these busts that you'd see in clubs, and turning ourselves into these gentlemen," Ella explained. "So, we're playing with the museum artefact idea with the plinths, and how these clubs idolise these men."

The intended effect on the audience was a slow-dawning realisation. "I hope they get the initial feeling of ‘oh, this is a gentleman's club’," Anya said. "But the sooner they look into the smaller details and see us in the picture frames, they sort of question what they're seeing, and what's being misunderstood and misheard about these spaces."

Both students credit Falmouth’s wider creative community for shaping the final piece. "It wouldn't have been the same if we did it alone," Anya shared. "I think it's all the interactions we've had with different people, and different conversations, and how it's formed the work that we're creating at the moment."

Ella agreed, describing the energy of working alongside other busy, driven creatives at Falmouth as a highlight of the process. "There's such a community of people that are all happy to create and make stuff, and it's nice to see everyone's work coming together."

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