Over the last 2 years Kadir has convened a group of creatives, academics, writers and botanists with a shared interest in folklore and community co-creation to form the Queer Folk Collective.

Together they have devised and will facilitate workshops for queer communities of East London and beyond, creating Queer Midsummer - a Summer Solstice procession through Walthamstow Marshes and along the River Lea, culminating at East Bank with storytelling, oral histories, sound, song, dance and ritual in June 2026.

Drawing on rituals and stories of the past through a Queer lens, we weave in queer folklore including non-conformist fashions, club culture, language, and radical family structures. Queer Midsummer explores how queerness has always existed in folk traditions, creating a visceral encounter where participants become living embodiments of ancient yet-contemporary ritual, challenging heteronormative assumptions about heritage and belonging.

With increasing attacks on LGBTQ+ people, we need community, gathering and rituals for protection. We reject the commercialisation of London Pride and hijacking of queer identities for profit, instead creating space for the queer community to celebrate nature's abundance on the
longest day through transformative collective art-making.

Weekend sessions at V&A East and London College of Fashion will explore existing queerness in folklore and myth worldwide, encouraging participants to contribute personal folklore to new traditions. Prioritising biodegradable materials, recycled paper and fabrics, and coppiced wood
minimises carbon footprint while maintaining folk tradition of reuse and handmade craft.