Volunteer Sally has uncovered the story behind Brenton Heath-Kerr’s Gingham Women (1991) costume, now part of the Powerhouse Collection (Object No: 94/111/2) Queer Artist, costume designer and performer Brenton Heath-Kerr designed ‘Gingham Women’, a blue and white lycra gingham costume to wear to the Sleaze Ball in 1991. Included in the costume is a full body suit, a face mask with holes cut out for the eyes and mouth, a bustier stye top, a box pleated mini skirt, gloves, stockings, platform clogs, a hand bag, a long cigarette holder and iconic 1990’s hair flip style all covered in blue and white gingham. Accompanying the costume are Heath-Kerr’s design sketches and images taken by Heath-Kerr’s friend and collaborator, photographer Peter Elfes, of ‘Gingham Women’ reclining on the hood of a car and eating breakfast at a table which is also dressed in gingham.
Taking inspiration from the surrealist exploits of Dior and Dali to the provocative style of Leigh Bowery and Vivienne Westwood, Heath-Kerr became an icon for the LGBTQIA community. His creativity and pride helping to unite the community, reshape attitudes and cement Sydney’s Mardi Gras into the celebration it is today. He wore his audacious costumes, with their gender bender chic and Dadaist nonsensical traits out in Sydney nightlife with the objective to deliver performances which critiqued gender and image stereotypes. However, as he succumbed to AIDS – dying in 1995 – the performances shifted to address his own mortality. Completing his whole body costumes with a mask became Heath-Kerr’s signature. The mask provided him with an anonymity which liberated him from his personal insecurities. Heath-Kerr stating “I could be anyone inside and that is the whole thing – that it is what’s inside that counts”.
Influenced by the unconventional style of Jean-Paul Gaultier and film maker David Lynch’s sweet yet vile juxtapositions in Twin Peaks, Gingham women was Heath-Kerr’s first costume to be rapturously acknowledged universally. Why choose gingham? To be “visually unsleazy”, to look like a sweet, demure 1940’s-50’s house wife, which was incompatible to the wild crazy sex party that is the Sleaze Ball. ‘Gingham women’ also featured in postcards, a collaboration with photographer Peter Elfes, which are also included within the Powerhouse’s collection. Heath-Kerr styled ‘Gingham women’ eating breakfast at a table set with gingham table cloth and serviettes, with a backdrop of a window dressed with a gingham curtain. The postcards a way for Heath-Kerr to extend the life of his characters while also enjoying the unpredictability of where the image may be sent too, stating he “could be on someone’s fridge in Africa”.
Sally’s research offers a compelling look into Heath-Kerr’s legacy, highlighting his impact on the LGBTQIA community and his lasting influence on Sydney’s Mardi Gras.
Written and researched by volunteer Sally King.