In the early 1990s, long before social media and blogs, a revolution started in Olympia (US). An uprising of bright, angry girls broadcast their solidarity by way of art, activism and a DIY aesthetic. The movement died out in the mid 1990s however the ideas that fuelled riot grrrl have continued to shape the lives of many artists, musicians, filmmakers, writers, and activists.

Combining moving image, documentary, music and discussion, Rebel Girl brings together artists, writers, speakers and makers to explore the legacy of riot grrrl twenty years on from Kathleen Hanna’s Riot Grrrl manifesto.

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EXHIBITION PROGRAMME

Thursday 19 – Sunday 21 September, 12-5pm

Jennifer West 
Riot Grrrl Alchemy Film (2008)

Based on lyrics from Sleater Kinney, Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, Riot Grrrl Alchemy Film combines 16mm b&w and colour film neg danced on with sneakers, sprayed with cherry tomatoes, and rubbed with cinnamon, butter buns, strawberries and candy bars.

Michele O’Marah
Quiet RRRiot

Quiet RRRiot (The Bikini Kill Story) is one in a series of seven videos that make up the project For Those About to Rock. The videos, formatted as movie trailers for never to be made films, tell the truncated story of different indie rock bands, culled from rumor, innuendo and legendary gossip.

Lucy Thane
It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill in the UK (1993)

Documentary following Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear on their 1993 UK tour. The film also features the Raincoats, Sister George and Skinned Teen alongside interview footage with band members and female audience members at the shows.

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EVENTS PROGRAMME

Friday 20 September, 7pm
TALK: Cazz Blase

Regular contributor to contemporary feminist website The F Word, and zine scene veteran with fanzines including Aggamengmong Moggie (1993-99), Real Girls (2001), and Harlot’s Progress (2002-06) under her belt, Cazz Blase joins Vivid Projects to examine the UK riot grrrl scene.

Saturday 21 September, 2 – 4pm
WORKSHOP: Craftivist Collective

** sadly this workshop has been cancelled due to illness. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

PLAYLIST: Atta Girl

We’ve invited Birmingham’s very own Atta Girl, promoters of women in music, to curate a special Riot Grrrl playlist in advance of their clubnight at the Hare and Hounds on 28 September, so listen out for that during the weekend too!

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Rebel Girl is presented as part of Vivid Projects’ eight month opening season ’33 Revolutions’, which asks the question can art and popular culture act as a catalyst for social change?