El Hardwick

T-FAGS BOOKS ARE HERE!!!!! 💘 We can’t wait to celebrate with you in London on Tuesday at @photobookcafe . We have only 𝙛𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙮 copies to sell on launch night, due to the incredible response to pre-orders(!) We’re also heading to Glasgow on 11th March with some copies, where we’ll host an event at @categoryisbooks : one of our early generous Kickstarter backers. 🌟 The final 100 copies are being distributed to bookshops by the wonderful @public_knowledge_books (we will have a list of stockists for you soon!) We want to express our endless gratitude to @gee.vee._ & @vankitti of @holobiont.lol for designing the book in a way that we could have only dreamt of. And a huge thanks to @taylor_brothers , for not only printing the book to an outstanding quality, but being on hand for every single pernickety question we had as first-time self publishers. And of course none of this would have been possible without every single backer on Kickstarter. We are so excited for you all to see them in the flesh.

Happy solstice 🌞 Today I am delighted to share a new track, titled Metsänpeitto. This time last year, to the exact day, I was in the middle of a two-week residency at @tuotuoarts . I did not plan to record any finished music — yet the land was ringing with messages. I couldn’t help but write a song that attempted to capture some of them. Metsänpeitto is an experimental folk-drone song, inspired by an experience that l had wandering into the forest and becoming lost; engulfed by bracken. The song is named after the Finnish belief that those who enter the forest can become lost when the spirit of the forest itself disguises them as a part of nature. The track begins acapella, before becoming engulfed by harmonies, drones, creaks and grieving cries. Read the full story behind the song in the slides. Link in bio to listen/buy on Bandcamp, or otherwise find it on all the usual streaming places 💦 Vocals, harmonium, guitar, synth, field recordings, production & artwork by me. Mixing and double bass by @memoryplay_music . Mastering by Joni Judén at @tuotuoarts . Thank you to @shireenqart & @glassforbrains for helping edit the lyrics 🖤

El Hardwick - Process of Elimination London-based multidisciplinary artist @el_hardwick ’s second album follows their experience of becoming chronically ill after years of treating their body like a machine. El explains: “After failing to receive a diagnosis, which is only given via a lengthy process of elimination, I instead turned to autonomous modes of healing rooted in mysticism and herbalism; putting aside the need to be defined. My journey towards accepting my disability is told in parallel to my coming-out as trans. I also see my non-binary identity as a process of elimination: I am neither gender, both, in-between. It is through rewilding myself from capitalism and gender normativity that I learn how to connect to my body and the earth; no longer allowing either’s energy to be extracted from. The less I sought answers, language, metrics and analysis, the more peace I found.” First single ‘Dual’ looks at how cartesian dualism laid the groundwork for capitalism’s rebranding of the body as machine, and how we might liberate ourselves from this separation. El’s sung vocals are panned to one ear, whilst a spoken voice memo is panned to the other; representing the parallel voices of the body and the mind. El will premiere the album in its entirety as an A/V show with a live band, at @the.bath.house.hw on Thursday 22nd August, hosted in collaboration with @niche.ldn (ticket link in theirs & Niche’s bios) Dual credits: Written, produced & performed by El Hardwick Flute, clarinet & saxophone by @alex___mckenzie___ on clarinet Double bass & saw by @memoryplay_music Accompanying vocals sashakinwilde Mixed by @memoryplay_music Mastered by Rupert Clervaux Photo credits: Sleeve design by @dimisaere . Cover image created by fungi and bacteria as they decay a sheet of linoleum, discovered by El’s parents in their garden shed. Press photo by @el_hardwick & @orionisaacs_ Lighting by @benjoleggett Set design by @damning_fern

Some photos from a plant-filled trip to Madeira in January with @patfeatherstone & friends 🪲💚

Sunrise swimming with @iggytopia at @tuotuoarts last August 🌅 Since the sun never fully sets in summer, the lake was still warm even at 4.30am. That morning is one of those very precious memories that you only get to make every so often. It felt appropriate to share today on Earth Day 💖

Now the warmer days are beginning, it feels appropriate to share some of the photos I’ve been sitting on from time spent at @tuotuoarts last summer, which was the second of two magical residencies I’ve experienced there 💗 There aren’t many other places in the world where I have felt so at peace 🌲🍄🌞

It’s such a pleasure to share that @meganhwallace will be facilitating our Q&A at @categoryisbooks in Glasgow this Thursday evening. Megan first wrote about t-fags for @bjp1854 in 2022, as part of their article on the @rosa_kwir exhibition that included the earliest iteration of the project. They later featured us in theirs & @jackrowe_ ’s brilliant Pulp Zine in 2024, before interviewing us for @dazed late last year when we ran our Kickstarter for the book. It feels like they really get it, so it is perfect to have them host our first irl Q&A about the book 💖 Photograph above from t-fags (self published, 2026) of @peteyparty_ , taken in 2025.

Today, on trans day of visibility, I wrote some thoughts on trans photographic legibility for my newsletter. Head to my substack (link in bio) to read the full ramble. Portrait of @assignedfagatbirth taken in 2022, from mine & @orionisaacs_ ’ new book t-fags 💗

7-8PM THUR 9TH APRIL is the rescheduled date for our Glasgow book launch, which was postponed earlier this month… Can’t wait to see you all in Glasgow in two weeks time @categoryisbooks ! ❤️‍🔥

EDIT: RESCHEDULED TO THURSDAY 9TH APRIL 7-8PM! 🗓️ Very excited to continue the t-fags book celebrations in Glasgow next Wednesday at @categoryisbooks . Join us for a short Q&A about the project, followed by book signing 💫 We’re still glowing from the incredible turn out and love we received at the London launch last week. Thank you so much for joining us, and to June Lam @assignedfagatbirth for the beautiful reading from his foreword 💖 For those outside the UK & Europe, we should have updates soon on how many copies are left to buy direct from us. The book is also going to be stocked at @gaysthewordbookshop @thecommonpress @icalondon @thephotographersgallery @unitomstore @categoryisbooks @burninghousebooks @kellerkreuzberg and more TBA 🎉 We are also starting to ship all Kickstarter rewards & pre-orders… it’s taking a LOT of time between the two of us as self publishers, but be assured we are working hard to have all your books with you as soon as we can 💪

Hard to believe that after years of work, in just a couple of weeks we will launch the 𝒕-𝒇𝒂𝒈𝒔 book! Join us on 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟒𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟔-𝟗𝐩𝐦 at @photobookcafe in London❤️‍🔥 During the launch, around 7.30pm, the inimitable June Lam @assignedfagatbirth will also be reading from his magnificent foreword for the book. Here are a few words he wrote on this portrait of Riven @transgressrrr : “𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 ‘𝑹𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝑽’ 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇-𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈; 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆 ‘𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒍’ 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒏 𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒚-𝒔𝒐𝒇𝒕 𝒗𝒖𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒖𝒔.”

This photograph of @bb_sway from mine & @orionisaacs_ ’s t-fags project is available as a £75 print for a limited time only as part of @huckmagazine ’s annual print fundraiser sale. All proceeds go to @chooselove who support refugees globally through providing humanitarian aid and advocacy. Their work is so vital in this moment when so many are fleeing violence, whilst the UK (and much of the global north’s) response is to turn away in hatred. Head to the link in Huck’s bio to support 💙