Jack Scollard: Cruising Archaeology, The Pleasure Archive Research Centre
(assistant curator) Studio Voltaire, London, April-July 2026
Exploring the exhibition as a cruising ground, this project considered the connections between cruising and viewing art in a public space.
This was the first exhibition of Cruising Archaeology, an ongoing artistic project by Jack Scollard that involves a meticulous process of selecting and curating discarded objects collected from queer cruising sites.
First presented as an Instagram account and later as a book published by SMUT Press, Cruising Archaeology has documented hundreds of unique objects. Using methods taken from the field of archaeology, these items, often discarded or overlooked, are repositioned as relics of a subcultural sexual practice. By applying the rigour of archaeology to the ephemeral nature of the cruising ground, Scollard explores the tension between preservation and disappearance.
Cruising Archaeology: The Pleasure Archive Research Centrefunctions as a material analysis of queer lives and the spaces they inhabit. The exhibition considers how to present ephemeral histories, inviting visitors to treat the space as a critical cruising ground.
More information here.
Photos courtesy of the artist and Studio Voltaire. Installation photography: Tom Carter
(assistant curator) Studio Voltaire, London, April-July 2026
Exploring the exhibition as a cruising ground, this project considered the connections between cruising and viewing art in a public space.
This was the first exhibition of Cruising Archaeology, an ongoing artistic project by Jack Scollard that involves a meticulous process of selecting and curating discarded objects collected from queer cruising sites.
First presented as an Instagram account and later as a book published by SMUT Press, Cruising Archaeology has documented hundreds of unique objects. Using methods taken from the field of archaeology, these items, often discarded or overlooked, are repositioned as relics of a subcultural sexual practice. By applying the rigour of archaeology to the ephemeral nature of the cruising ground, Scollard explores the tension between preservation and disappearance.
Cruising Archaeology: The Pleasure Archive Research Centrefunctions as a material analysis of queer lives and the spaces they inhabit. The exhibition considers how to present ephemeral histories, inviting visitors to treat the space as a critical cruising ground.
More information here.
Photos courtesy of the artist and Studio Voltaire. Installation photography: Tom Carter
