Co-created by veteran artist David Tovey and communities of LGBT+ veterans and personnel, The Echoes and Shadows of Identity was commissioned by the Museum last year, on the 25th anniversary of the repeal of the Armed Forces ‘gay ban’, and developed through a year-long series of workshop conversations with veterans affected by the ban and current personnel who now openly serve in more inclusive and equitable times.
Based on community members’ oral testimonies, the artwork is composed of a large steel structure, a prison cell, which evokes the jail sentences some veterans received. It also symbolises despair, ‘boxed away’ traumas and hidden identities, as veterans recalled masking their sexuality, undergoing interrogations and losing their vocations.
Veteran and artist David Tovey
Formerly hidden from official histories of the military, in an accompanying soundscape the accounts of LGBT+ veterans and personnel become heard narratives. Their voices pass through the empty cell, transiently inhabiting it and evoking different experiences over time. In their spoken words, anguish and hope intermingle, revealing changing attitudes.
This juxtaposition of memory and progress, past and present, is underscored by official letters of dismissal and apology mounted on the cell wall.
David Tovey was directly affected by the ban, having spent six years in the Army, leaving in 1997 when dismissals for being gay accelerated. He lost his vocation and sense of purpose, experiencing years of homelessness, addiction and mental health struggles.
Art became a powerful means of self-expression, enabling him to rebuild his life. His work as an activist and producer engages with social justice and marginalised communities.
The artwork is currently on display in the Hangar 2 Community Gallery, on the ground floor.
This project is generously supported by Queer Heritage Collections Network Creative Projects through the National Lottery and Arts Council England.
