Transhumans
Gallery producer, curator, DJ and musician – Parma Ham is a multidisciplinary artist known for their big hair and extraordinary club nights. Together with partner Salvia, we met the extreme dressers to talk about gender, identity and Pride.
Photography Christian Trippe Photo Assistant Tom Wyche
Photography Christian Trippe Salvia – dress and hat by Cameron P. Jukes Parma Ham – dress by Ming Lim
Hello both, thank you so much for joining us today here. How has the last year been for you?
Salvia: It’s been a difficult year, but it’s the most I’ve ever grown in a really short amount of time. The pandemic really pushed me into choosing a direction, and then forcing me to action and manifest the things I want, because there’s no point in waiting for things happen.
Ham: It can be quite easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom of Tories x C19 x Brexit, but I’ve been able to find the silver lining in having spare time from not travelling, working in nightlife, and while remaining reclusive. I’ve enjoyed the refocus on other things – and i’m ready to publish a book, put out an EP, exhibit my sculpture, and I’m working on curating an exhibition on night life. Projects which I will release when the pandemic is more subdued, since I’m really not a fan of these virtual arenas we are forced into with the lockdown.
“It’s been a difficult year, but it’s the most I’ve ever grown in a really short amount of time.”
Salvia / 001011____
Parma Ham, you are a well-known DJ in London and abroad. How did you cope when all of this suddenly stopped in 2020? That must have been very difficult…
Ham: It was devastating when the pandemic first hit because in the space of a week my calendar got totally wiped. I had to mourn the loss of some great opportunities and events, while being severed from my community… as well as financially take a hit. Fortunately I’m also a museum producer so I could financially fall back on that, whereas many of my colleagues in nightlife have really struggled.
Salvia, photographed by Christian Trippe
You are both known under interesting names online. Can you tell us where these names come from? Is there a meaning behind them?
Ham: I named myself after the cured ham. It wasn’t meant to be serious, but in the end I legally changed my name to it.
Salvia: Salvia is a really pretty name, and I love that salvia is a flower, but it’s also a drug, my new username is inspired by binary code from the Matrix – it makes me sound less human and more like data.
“My new username is inspired by binary code from the Matrix – it makes me sound less human and more like data.”
Salvia / 001011____
Salvia, you recently deleted a lot of your images on Instagram and changed your username. What was the reason behind it?
Salvia: Instagram repeatedly removed some of my favourite images due to their community standards and the bullying online where people relentlessly report my work, so in response I removed my own work because Instagram does not deserve it. I’ve readded some of it lately. My username is the name of my upcoming EP, and I like how it doesn’t sound like a human name, so I get to be less human.
Parma Ham, photographed by Christian Trippe Dress by Nunzio del Prete
Salvia, you have a cult-following on social media but also a lot of haters. How do you deal with them?
Salvia: I refuse to give them any of my energy.
What inspires your work?
Ham: I create work that I want to be surrounded by – usually minimal, transhuman, and fetishistic.
Salvia: post humanism and trans humanism where the body and identity is pushed beyond its limit; I think my interest is inspired by my own transness.
Something you really want to do but hasn’t happened yet?
Ham: While staying true to myself, I want my work to be exposed to a broader and more mainstream audience.
Salvia: I want to make a feature length film, and I would love to perform my music live, which I haven’t been able to do yet.
Saliva, photographed by Christian Trippe
Do you celebrate Pride?
We don’t enjoy the corporate March that is Pride™, but we historically support the sentiment of being proud of who you are, and that in itself being a protest against the rest of society who have historically tried to shame us for it.
“Though rural England is no longer the hellscape that queer people have to to run from, there is still a pull to join your tribe in London and feel a sense of community.”
Parma Ham
Best thing about the Queer community (in London)?
The sentiment behind Small Town Boy by Bronski Beat still rings true in that the city has always been the place where LGBTQ+ youth flee to. Though rural England is no longer the hellscape that queer people have to to run from, there is still a pull to join your tribe in London and feel a sense of community.
Describe your perfect night out in London?
We like to stick to our second home Electrowerkz in Angel, where the nights Wraith, Slimelight and Kaos are held.
How was your coming out story?
Ham: I never “came out” with any sort of declaration or label; I asked my parents to use “they” pronouns towards me, and over the years I’ve introduced them to my various partners – whether they are male, female, non-binary or trans, and I left them guessing about my sexuality. I see a lot of kids worrying about defining their gender and sexuality; one option that is often overlooked is that it doesn’t matter because you don’t owe anyone a definition – not even yourself.
Salvia: I never came out, there was just a point where I had to correct people on their use of pronouns. I’ve never labelled my sexuality, so there’s nothing to say.
“I see a lot of kids worrying about defining their gender and sexuality; one option that is often overlooked is that it doesn’t matter because you don’t owe anyone a definition – not even yourself.”
Parma Ham
What are your plans and goals for 2021 and beyond?
Salvia: I’m releasing an EP and working on some visually exciting music videos. The Nullo project which I collaborate on with Ham will have a second runway style show.
Ham: I’m also working on music which Im planning to put out soon. I’m also hoping when the pandemic subsides I’ll be able to produce my clubnight Wraith again. I’ve also made a load of art during lockdown so I will be working on exhibiting it soon.
Parma Ham, photographed by Christian Trippe Dress by Nunzio del Prete
Fast round!
Are you superstitious?
Ham: No, but I manifest what I want.
Salvia: Yes.
Your perfect pet?
Salvia: I can’t have a pet, I can’t look after myself.
Ham: My cat Trembles, who is a Devon Rex.
2020 was __
Salvia: A year of evolution.
Ham: A year of introspection.
2021 is/will be___
Salvia: Full of more obstacles and challenges, but still exciting.
Ham: Loads of doors closed when the pandemic hit, but when it subsides there will be plenty of new opportunities, and perhaps some entirely new paths.
Photography Christian Trippe Salvia – dress and hat by Cameron P. Jukes Parma Ham – dress and hat by Ming Lim
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