Martin Firrell launches Pride50 public artworks

Bauer Media Outdoor partners with public artist Martin Firrell to display new artworks marking the 50th anniversary of the UK’s first Gay Pride march across digital screens up and down the UK.

On 1 July 2022, it will be 50 years since the first Gay Pride march took place in Britain. Pride50 is a series of public artworks created by public artist Martin Firrell to mark the 50th anniversary year.

The project kicks off on 17 January 2022 with four artworks based on true-life LGBT+ coming-of-age stories from the year of the UK's first Pride march - 1972 - to be displayed across Bauer Media Outdoor's digital Out of Home screens nationwide.  

Martin Firrell is a highly regarded LGBT+ movement veteran, known for his provocative interventions in Out of Home spaces, which encourage public conversations of social values. Firrell has a long-standing association with the Out of Home industry, being Bauer Media Outdoor’s first Artist in Residence (2018-19).

This year, he will be keeping up with that tradition by showcasing his thought-provoking artwork pieces; here is a closer look with some descriptive words from Firrell himself:

“Quentin Crisp was well on his way to becoming (in)famous by the early 1970s. Many young people first encountered the possibility of living a queer life through Crisp's autobiography The Naked Civil Servant and John Hurt's extraordinary portrayal of Crisp in the TV adaptation of the same title.”

"In 1972, UK law was altered so that television companies were allowed to broadcast during the day. At least one teenager realised her lesbian identity while watching the UK's first daytime TV."

"In 1972, the last Apollo mission landed on the moon. One teenager's unlikely erotic awakening was prompted by the bulky white spacesuits worn by the moon mission crews."

"1972 saw the outbreak of the 'Cod Wars' between Iceland and the UK. News reports of burly trawlermen in conflict over fishing rights led one youngster to realise he was gay."   

Firrell will create five further public artworks, in collaboration with Peter Tatchell, to be displayed prominently and nationally by the Out of Home industry to mark the day of the 50th anniversary on 1 July 2022, with Bauer Media Outdoor's support too.