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🌈 Queer Fashions Open Call – Now Open for Applications!

Posted on: April 28th, 2025 by cyEditor

🎨 About the Exhibition

The Queer Fashions exhibition is a celebration of individuality and identity in the realm of fashion, inviting creatives to challenge and redefine conventional beauty standards, fashion norms, and gender expectations. The exhibition aims to showcase how fashion can act as a powerful tool for personal expression, cultural commentary, and social change within the LGBTQIA+ community and beyond.

This call is open to artists from all disciplines, whether fashion designers, visual artists, photographers, stylists, or performance artists. The Queer Fashions exhibition is an opportunity to explore the vibrant and diverse ways queer people navigate fashion, identity, and expression in today’s world. We are looking for pieces that push boundaries, create dialogue, and celebrate the beauty of non-conformity.

📅 Exhibition Dates & Key Information

Selected works will be displayed at our vibrant venue, FUSEBOX, where they will reach a broad audience of art lovers, community members, and creatives. This is a unique opportunity for you to have your work seen in a public setting, gain exposure, and contribute to an ongoing conversation around queer representation in art and fashion.

✨ How to Apply

We invite submissions that explore fashion in the context of queerness, whether through garments, photography, visual art, or any other visual art form. The work should reflect queer perspectives, experiences, and expressions, challenging traditional notions of gender, identity, and aesthetics. Your work should have a clear connection to the themes of inclusivity, diversity, and the celebration of queer culture.

📩 To Apply:

Visit our Queer Fashions Open Call page to submit your application. Don’t miss the chance to be part of an exhibition that celebrates the vibrant intersection of fashion and queer identity!

🌟 Why You Should Apply

💬 Join the Conversation

At Creative Youth, we are committed to fostering inclusive and empowering spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community. The Queer Fashions exhibition is a crucial part of our mission to provide a platform for underrepresented voices in the arts. We can’t wait to see how you’ll contribute to this exciting dialogue around fashion, identity, and queer culture.

Open plan exhibition space in FUSEBOX, a basement venue, filled with artwork and audiences

Moonlight Exhibition Launch and Kingston Undercurrents

Posted on: April 15th, 2025 by cyEditor

Moonlight invites Black visual artists across all disciplines to explore the delicate and multifaceted journey of vulnerability, emotion and identity when freed from the weight of social expectation. How can emotion be captured not only as an act of resistance, but also as a pure state of being? Can we explore ourselves outside of the perception of others and what does this look like?

Find out about the exhibiting artists in our Exhibition Guide.

Moonlight is free to view until Saturday 19 April (Opening hours Wednesday – Saturday, 11:00-18:00).

The exhibition was launched alongside Kingston Undercurrents, our regular music nights hosted in collaboration with Paper Garden Records. A high-energy showcase of the freshest, boldest talent shaping Kingston’s scene. From first-time performers finding their feet to uni students honing their craft, from emerging voices carving out their sound to established artists making waves—every act is connected to this town.

Find out more about Kingston Undercurrents here. 

Community Residence Programme 2025: KIFF

Posted on: March 27th, 2025 by cyEditor

Having identified a need for affordable spaces for creatives to come together and work with communities, we launched this programme in FUSEBOX last year (with past residents, WOM Collective) and have since hosted a series of events, exhibitions and workshops for local communities.

The Community in Residence programme offers community partner access to FUSEBOX (subject to availability), support for funding applications, and a collaborative approach to engaging young people (ages 5-30) in our Borough. We are now delighted to be working with KIFF on the following programme:

FilmBox

FilmBox, which was launched last May, will continue as a core activity, building on our pilot workshops and screenings. This free monthly club fosters film discussions and networking, with varied sessions on Wednesday evenings for young and emerging filmmakers aged 16+.

Learn more about our upcoming FilmBox events here. 

Festival Partnerships June-July 2025

Our joint vision is to promote Kingston as a ‘Festival Town’. KIFF brings independent filmmakers, industry professionals and students together with the local community for film opportunities throughout the year, culminating in three days of screenings, workshops, and events at venues across Kingston in June. FUSE International is a ten-day international celebration of live performance and creativity. Our programme is packed with inspiring, funny and thought-provoking shows that bring us together through live performance. Both are “Festivals for Everyone”.

Find out more about FUSE International here.

Find out more about Kingston International Film Festival here. 

Markets: “Ghosts, Manifestations & Visions’ Project Exhibition

Alongside Creative Youth, KIFF will co-curate a two-week exhibition which will take place in September at FUSEBOX exploring Kingston’s Ancient Marketplace through film, visual art, and heritage. This exhibition should touch upon the three key themes of Creative Youth’s wider ‘Markets’ project; by uncovering the past (ghosts), examining the present (manifestations), and questioning the future (visions) of Kingston’s Ancient Marketplace.

Young Creative Representative

Creative Youth’s initiatives are steered by their Young Creatives board, comprising individuals aged 16- 30 who represent a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and artistic interests. For the 2025-2026 cohort, KIFF have nominated Joe Coombs Berry to be their representative and join this board, ensuring collaborative efforts are youth-led and inclusive.

Find Out More about our Young Creatives Panel here.

 

Partnering with Children’s International Film Festival (CIFF) 2025

We are also pleased to announce that Creative Youth, will be the official charity Partner of the Children’s International Film Festival (CIFF) 2025. A champion of both the arts and young people, Creative Youth will provide some exciting workshops for school children coming to the Film Festival, centred around creativity in the pre-production process.

Find Out More about CIFF here.

Meet our Young Creatives Cohort 2025!

Posted on: February 17th, 2025 by cyEditor

Young Creatives is a panel of emerging talent, from 16–30 years old, who generate new ideas and plans for the charity.

Creative Youth is run by young people, for young people. They come from a diverse range of backgrounds and disciplines and the panel is open to everyone, at any stage of their career. They are committed to driving positive change. We couldn’t wish for a better set of ambassadors.

To find out more about each one of our members and to see the exciting work they are currently up to please visit here.

January 2025 Exhibitions at FUSEBOX 

Posted on: January 30th, 2025 by cyEditor

Violaciones – Oscar Rodriguez

Oscar Rodriguez (he/they), one of our current Creative Talent Programme Artist, invites audiences to rediscover failure as a catalyst for profound hope. Rooted in their Salvadoran heritage and inspired by the revolutionary legacies of their ancestors, Oscar collaborated with friends, activists, and fellow poets to craft a short film and an evocative soundscape album. Together, they explored liberation in its many forms, challenging conventional narratives and honouring the struggles of oppressed, Queer, and working-class communities.

Beyond the screen and speakers, Oscar’s exhibition created an immersive experience through poetry, multi-medium artwork, and creative installations. This powerful collection provided a space for connection, reflection, and dialogue, offering a moment of healing and solidarity for all who attended.

soft space, still moment: Mindful Art Sessions

Alongside Oscar’s exhibition, we also hosted soft space, still moment, a tranquil and reflective installation space created by the young people who attend our Weekly Mindful Art Sessions. This exhibition invited visitors to step into a calm zone designed to encourage sensory awareness and inner peace.

Through art, attendees explored mindfulness and self-expression, fostering an environment of stillness and contemplation. If you are aged between 12-25 and would like to be part of our Weekly Mindful Art Sessions, find out more here.

Both exhibitions have been a testament to the power of creativity in fostering community, dialogue, and personal growth. Thank you to everyone who attended and supported these projects—we look forward to continuing to provide platforms for emerging artists and meaningful conversations through art.

Explore FUSEBOX’s Spring 2025 Programme

Posted on: December 23rd, 2024 by cyEditor

Bad Clowns & Good Friends

Thurs 30 January,  13 March, 24 April
19:30 | £10

Step underground and discover enticing acts that will be taking over Kingston’s new basement venue for nights of high quality cabaret comedy, hosted by the Bad Clowns!

Book tickets for Bad Clowns

 

Kingston Undercurrents

Thurs 13 February, 10 April, 8 May, 12 June, 14 August
19:30 | £10

Kingston Undercurrents is a monthly celebration of bold, fresh sounds and raw talent shaping the indie music scene in Kingston, Southwest London. Curated by Paper Garden Records and brought to you by FUSEBOX, this dynamic showcase features everything from soulful singer-songwriters to boundary-pushing experimental bands.
Immerse yourself in the diverse, authentic voices flowing through Kingston’s heart, where creativity knows no limits and the next big thing is always just around the corner. In collaboration with local brands, Kingston Undercurrents also brings interactive and experiential elements, enhancing the experience and connecting the community with the music scene in exciting new ways.

Book tickets for Kingston Undercurrents

 

Violaciones

Launch: Thur 23 Jan, 18:00
Exhibition: 24-25, 29-30 January 2025
Free

Oscar Rodriguez invites audiences to rediscover failure as a catalyst for profound hope. Through a collaborative short film and an evocative soundscape album, Oscar explores liberation in its many forms.

 

Jazz Evening with the Thames Youth Jazz Orchestra

28 February 2025
19:30 | £12 adult, £6 child

Thames Youth Jazz Orchestra, winners of the ‘Best Music Performance’ award at FUSE International 2023, return to play at FUSEBOX in February! TYJO brings together the finest young jazz musicians in South West London and plays a wide selection of big band music, from classic swing to contemporary charts. The band has played at jazz clubs and many other venues both in London and across Europe, and is known for its flair and vibrancy.

Come and join us for a fantastic evening of jazz, guaranteed to get your toes tapping and take you on a musical journey!

Book tickets for Thames Youth Jazz Orchestra

Check out our full programme

Reflecting on 2024: A Remarkable Year

Posted on: December 20th, 2024 by cyEditor

It’s been a year of growth, collaboration, and resilience, made possible by our incredible community.

Like many in the charity and arts sectors, we’ve faced significant challenges this year. Yet these hurdles have only strengthened our commitment to ensuring young people have access to the arts—creating pathways to opportunity, connection, and transformation.

 

FUSEBOX: A Thriving Creative Hub

2024 marked a milestone for FUSEBOX, which has fast become the engine that drives our work. Across our recent Autumn and Festive Programmes, we were pleased to see an exciting mix of returning and new artists for performances, exhibitions, and events. We were also proud to receive two awards this year, including Charity of the Year at the Kingston Borough Business Awards! A huge thank you to Kingston Chamber of Commerce and Time & Leisure for this recognition.

To everyone who used FUSEBOX as a stage, workshop, or event space—you’ve made this space what it is today. We can’t wait to welcome you back in 2025. Find out more about what’s coming up next year here.

Open plan exhibition space in FUSEBOX, a basement venue, filled with artwork and audiences

 

FUSE International 2024: A Summer to Remember

FUSE International 2024 was a huge success! With 793 participants, over 3,000 tickets sold, and 47 events across 6 venues, we brought Kingston alive with global creativity. We also launched RIVERFEST, generously supported by Kingston First, which brought the riverside to life with street art and performance. Thank you to the artists, volunteers, and audiences who helped make this another unforgettable year.

 

Crowdfunder Triumph: Thank You!

In September, your overwhelming generosity helped us raise over £15,000 through our crowdfunder campaign. With more than 150 supporters, each contribution fuels our mission. A big thank you to our partners and funders—Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Kingston University, Kingston College, Kingston First, Canadian & Portland, Arts Council England, the Jectus Charitable Foundation, and many more—for their continued support.

If you would like to continue supporting our work, you can sign up to our newsletter here, or make a donation to Creative Youth via this link.

 

Celebrating Local Heritage with AMP Kingston

This year, we completed AMP Kingston, our largest project to date, celebrating Kingston’s rich heritage in art, music, and fashion from the 1960s to the 1990s. A heartfelt thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and all those who helped bring this exciting project to life.

New Beginnings and Fond Farewells

We bid farewell to 16 talented Young Creatives who completed their second year with us. Their contributions to FUSEBOX and FUSE International have been invaluable, and we’re excited to welcome a new cohort in 2025, along with Creative Talent Programme artists Joshua Hester and Oscar Rodriguez, whose work will be showcased in FUSEBOX early next year.

 

Looking Ahead to 2025

As we head into 2025, we’re excited to launch our Spring Programme and begin planning for FUSE International 2025. With fresh opportunities and collaborations on the horizon, we can’t wait to see what’s next. Thank you to everyone who supported us this year—we couldn’t do it without you!

Dan & Archie

Discover our FUSEBOX Festive Programme

Posted on: November 1st, 2024 by cyEditor

With plenty of events for everyone to choose, from drag and comedy shows, to live music and family theatre, check out the range of events below.

The Ugly Bug Winter Drag Ball

Friday 5 December

Klub Obskura are delighted to return to Kingston to present the Ugly Bug Winter Ball, a celebration of the beauty of Winter through the eyes of the insect kingdom.

Book Now

Dick Whittington

Friday 6 & Saturday 7 December

This Christmas, come join the team who brought you The First Father Christmas, as they retell the mostly traditional tale of Dick Whittington. Full of fun, laughter, phonics, counting, dance, song, shapes, puppetry and a flying cat!

Book Now

Mrs Smith: See Me! (Nativity Edition)

Friday 13 & Sunday 15 December

Ever wondered what your teacher was thinking? Let Facebook’s Mrs Smith enlighten you! Following her sellout debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023 she is stepping out from behind her mask of anonymity on tour and is ready to tell all!

Book Now

October Exhibitions: Passing Through & Black Chorus

Posted on: October 4th, 2024 by cyEditor

Having just launched on Thursday 3rd October, FUSEBOX is once again delighted to be filled with works from a series of featured young artists, expressing insightful and bold commentary through their unique artistry and range of mediums.

Both Exhibitions will run until Saturday 12 October, 18:00.

Black Chorus: A Symphony of Art

This exhibition takes ownership of and reflects the multiplicity of Black identities, cultural narratives and experiences throughout the diaspora in order to uplift and celebrate narratives that have often historically been under or misrepresented in the art world.

Black Chorus Artists include:

Chiyana Ankhrah

Caroline Lacoma

Charisa Francis

 

Passing Through by Chisara Vidale

These works are part of a series of works that tenderly depict intimate moments of interaction between horses in dream-like landscapes, imbued with an otherworldly sense of light and energy. Her use of colour reflects a feeling of wonder that takes hold whilst outdoors, the pink of late summer sunsets fills the trees, and the moving patterns of water flow over the bodies of horses and the hills.

Discover New FUSE Replay Programme

Posted on: September 27th, 2024 by cyEditor

Our new programme features three areas: Cabaret at FUSEBOXFUSE Replay and FUSEBOX Exhibitions. These will run in addition to our regular community events programme.

Check out FUSE Replay this autumn:

The Womb 

Friday 25 Oct 2024, 20:00

The Womb is a three-hander provocative play about the absurd things that women have been going through since the beginning of the world.

Witty, fast-paced dialogue, original techno-atmospheric music, and three lost women in a place they can never ever leave…
Find Out More

An Evening with Dillon Dance

Sunday 24 November 2024, 16:00

After a standout out show at FUSE International 2024, Dillon Dance presents an intimate evening of performance, drawing on previous and new work.

Weaving their choreographic style into the architecture of FUSEBOX’s incredible underground space. Join us for an evening of stunning work, celebrating the legacy and future of Dillon Dance.
Find Out More

Mrs Smith – See Me! The Nativity Edition

Friday 13 & Sunday 15 December 2024, 20:00

Ever wondered what your teacher was thinking? Let Facebook’s Mrs Smith enlighten you! Following her sellout debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023 she is stepping out from behind her mask of anonymity on tour and is ready to tell all!

Find Out More

Introducing our Exhibitions Programme

Posted on: September 13th, 2024 by cyEditor

This includes free open-call exhibitions based around a new theme each month, alongside powerful showcases of visual art from key collaborators such as WOM Collective.

 

Black Chorus
3 – 12 October 2024, 11:00 – 18:00

Black Chorus emphasises the idea of individual voices contributing to a larger narrative, much like a chorus where each voice is distinct yet part of a harmonious ensemble.

We are delighted to be presenting Creative Youth’s October Open Call, exhibiting Black artists from various visual art disciplines.

This exhibition takes ownership of and reflects the multiplicity of Black identities, cultural narratives and experiences throughout the diaspora in order to uplift and celebrate narratives that have often historically been under or misrepresented in the art world.

You can also join us for Creative Sparks: Spoken Word/ Poetry Evening as part of the exhibition opening celebrations.

 

Rooted: An Art Journey of Interconnection
18 October – 17 November 2024
Wed – Sat, 11:00 – 18:00 (Last entry 17:30)

Since the start of 2024, WOM have made their mark in FUSEBOX as this year’s Community in Residence group.

We’ve seen incredible mural artworks spread across the walls of our venue, as well as Kingston locals engaging in live discussions and group painting/ sketching.

Join WOM for their biggest project at FUSEBOX yet! Get ready for an immersive visual art exhibition, set to takeover the venue this October with a focus on community and interconnectedness.

Voices of Dissent
22 – 30 November 2024
Wed – Sat, 11:00 – 18:00 (Last entry 17:30)

We are delighted to present our November Open Call exhibition, Voice of Dissent, on the theme of ‘protest’.

Art has always been a powerful form of expression in regards to social change, giving a platform to those who are historically ignored, to challenge the status quo, or as a way to reflect the current affairs of the world.

In response to the theme of ‘Protest’, Voices of Dissent presents visual artworks from all disciplines to reflect the power of protest in response to events impacting us presently, previously or that could be a future possibility.

How do individual acts of defiance and personal stories contribute to the larger narrative of resistance? When it comes to social justice, how does art capture the spirit and urgency of these causes?

We are pleased to be celebrating the launch of this exhibition with our regular Creative Sparks evening, showcasing emerging creative performances.

New monthly Cabaret nights launched at FUSEBOX

Posted on: September 11th, 2024 by cyEditor

It’ s been just over a year since our official launch of Kingston’s newest multi-arts venue last summer, and this new programme is a reflection of some of the amazing shows we’ve welcomed to the space since then.

Our new programme features three areas: Cabaret at FUSEBOXFUSE Replay and FUSEBOX Exhibitions. These will run in addition to our regular community events programme.

About our Cabaret Nights

Step underground and discover enticing new acts that will be taking over our basement venue for nights of drag, comedy, poetry, cabaret and music each month.

Bad Energy
Friday 6 September, 20:00

Big Oil CEOs Ben Big & Ollie Oil are hosting another talented line-up of climate-conscious comics for a night of fossil-fuelled fun.

Comedy vs Climate Change is a collective of comedians hosting climate comedy gigs and workshops.

 

t’ARTopia
Thursday 10 October – 20:00

Join us in t’ARTopia for a queer-curated night of drag, comedy, poetry, cabaret and music from some of our most delicious t’ARTs…

We have invited some of our favourite performers to entertain you all, at a night that will be nothing short of t’ARTopian.
Book tickets for t’ARTopia here

The Ugly Bug Winter Drag Ball 
Thursday 5 December – 20:00

Following a very successful debut at FUSEBOX at FUSE International 2024, and several equally successful bug Drag balls across London and Essex, Klub Obskura are delighted to return to Kingston to present the Ugly Bug Winter Ball, a celebration of the beauty of Winter through the eyes of the insect kingdom.

Book tickets for The Ugly Bug Winter Drag Ball here