Juno Birch is a sculptor and drag queen with a very distinctive retro 60’s campy style, with a very original and thought out character I would consider her drag persona as modern performance art. Her sculpture work closely associated to her drag character also informs the aesthetics of her character. Drawing inspiration from films and pop culture, mainly interests from her youth that she would cling to as a form of escapism as a young trans person trying to find ways to associate to femininity. Birch uses her drag and sculptures to celebrate trans bodies through a mix of beauty, fashion and comedy.
‘Miss Moon’ (2019/20) Sculpture work taken from Birch’s instagram.
Birch’s drag revolves around the character of an alien women trying to blend in as a 1960’s housewife. Playing with aesthetics of the time associated with femininity.
Vogue interview where Birch describes her work as both a drag queen and sculptor.
“I’m Juno Birch, a glamorous alien women who crash landed on Earth in 1962. Ever since I’ve been tragically dress like a lady, but kind of doing it a bit clumsily.”
Bread bag as accessory
“A lot of the time my sculptures will exaggerate artificial beauty. Very often I will make a sculpture and design a look first, and then do it on myself.”
Influenced by characters in movies
- Rocky Horror Picture Show – fascinated from a young age, watching people having fun not bothered about gender
- Mars Attacks – drawing from the fashion of the 1960’s as it was so camp and glamorous, finding
Would draw exaggerated women as a child, with big breasts, long hair and massive heels. It became a form of escapism for her as a young trans child not yet knowing what that was. She explains it was a way to express the femininity she craved and lacked as a child.
Kitsch bold aesthetics are found both in her performative and sculptural work. Mocks the misogynistic ‘role’ of a 1960’s housewife.
I aim to use her as a reference point when developing the character of Angel.
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