INTERVIEW WITH @IMOGENS.JPGS
For Imogen, partying and photography intersect not just in a personal way, but politically. Her practice focuses on documenting queer and FLINTA communities in London, specifically in nightlife spaces. She sees ‘partying as a form of protest within the queer community’ and captures this through dynamic, euphoric depictions of the night. Her photographs record the vibrant unity and solidarity of the queer community, standing in direct opposition to the media’s often polarising portrayals. Imogen points to a ruling from earlier this year in which the UK Supreme Court ruled that a woman is defined purely by biological sex and claims that trans-women have a “chilling effect” on lesbian spaces, an attempt to exclude trans-women from queer spaces, she says; ‘this is not the case. The community is about inclusion not exclusion.’ That feeling of solidarity and vibrant unity emerge from Imogen's pictures.
When Imogen first picked up a camera, her practice was more akin to documentary photography. She was drawn to “the beauty of difference” in the world around her, telling stories about people from “all walks of life” through her camera. She began documenting nightlife while at Newcastle University, when one of her friends hired her to take photographs of a night out. The enjoyment of capturing her friends stuck with her and when she moved to London and immersed herself in the queer nightlife scene, she found that capturing the events she was going to gave her ‘a creative release and connection to her community.’
While documenting a night out, Imogen is part of the action. She dances alongside her subjects, ‘all the events that I take pictures at are events I would go to anyways,’ taking photos of new friends and old. ‘It’s not just a case of observing’ she says. Her favourite work is done on her point-and-shoot film camera as it gives her the freedom to move seamlessly around the dance floor and immerse herself. The result is beautifully intimate images filled with joy, sweat, love, and connection across the spectrum of the queer community. From slogans lining t-shirts, ‘eat your girl out or I will,’ to hand-drawn posters held by go-go dancers fighting for trans rights, to a gleeful snog on the dance floor, Imogen's images portray instances of pure, uncensored queer joy and resistance across the community.
London is undergoing what many have dubbed a ‘lesbian renaissance,’ with the emergence of new FLINTA spaces and club nights. From permanent spaces like the ever popular La Camionera, to a queer rodeo night Bonanza that takes place across multiple venues, there are not only more spaces but a variety. Imogen believes these spaces have flourished with more visibility and recognition in turn allowing more people to feel comfortable entering these spaces and connect with their queerness. Her photography captures the opulence of this renaissance — scenes and portraits of an incredibly important time in London’s queer history. One shot shows three figures posed in front of a port-a-loo, like a gloriously queer, modern-day evocation of the splendour, magic, and sensuality of Botticelli’s Primavera’s Three Graces.
When we spoke about the future, Imogen expressed that her practice is motivated not by monetary reward or personal achievement but rather from the pure joy she gets when capturing her community, adding ‘I think that’s the beauty in it.’ ‘I just want to build up a body of work that I can then exhibit in 30 years as a historical view on our community and how it was at this time,’ she reflects. Looking at Imogen’s work, we see moments of joy on the dance floor, imbued with the connection, resistance, and love that energises the queer community in London today.
This piece was written for Party People: Figures on the Dancefloor which took place at The Roundhouse from November 2025 to February 2026 and published in the catalogue produced for the exhibition.