Phillippa is a London-based artist. She has won prizes for her screen prints and exhibits mostly in London, both in solo and group shoes. She has acquired a certain notoriety for her Cake heads. For the inaugural Nasty Women UK event, she exhibited a Trump Cake Head, which will be cut on 15th October, at an Open Studio at Phillippa's. 
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Tell us about your cake series of works.
The first political Cake Head I did was of Tony Blair as a birthday cake for Battersea’s Labour Party agent at the time, and he was horrified at the idea of eating his hero. It is people’s response that varies from a shout of delighted laughter to “it’s creepy, and I can’t eat it” that has made me continue to make the cakes. Is someone good enough to eat? Or are you taking their power, like cannibals used to believe. The Cake Heads are both funny and dark. I’ve done Gordon Brown, Gaddafi (before he was killed), Sadiq Khan – the Mayor of London when he was MP for Tooting. He impressed me as he cut his own head and did eat a piece. I may say, his entourage looked more than a little doubtful. The Queen was another head; as Alun Armstrong the actor cut her up (it does look quite brutal) the good sized audience, both inside and outside the gallery, screamed. Michael Gove, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage have all been among those to be baked, sliced and eaten. The choice of head is about doing someone that is generally recognisable, whether liked or disliked.
 
Why Trump?
I chose to do Trump because he is the President; though frankly he seems to be a childish, rich man who does not recognise the consequences of his actions or words with the result that he makes us all nervous.
 
What is your reaction to the misogyny we are experiencing here and abroad?
The internet sadly, seems to have made misogyny easier for its practitioners as the level of sexual abuse levelled at women MPs is appalling and Trump is happy to be a partner for this abuse though I doubt that he himself is as violent as many of his supporters are, but he is not a man given to self analysis or indeed acceptance of any responsibility.  Religion too, seems to be a tool for men in restricting women’s rights.  From the Mike Pences of this world to some imams, they are driven by their idea of religion to curtail women’s rights to birth control. 
 
What inspired you to support Nasty Women UK?
Any organisation which stands up for Women’s rights gets my support.
 
What can others do to stand for equality?
Involvement in local affairs at any level helps with equality and with making bridges with other cultures. 
 
Who are your Nasty heroines?
I nominate Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist who set up the Green Belt Movement to pay poor women to plant trees and was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Prize. She also went to a Loreto Convent but in Limuru. She also had to endure a great deal of misogyny - Daniel Arap Moi (the President) told her she should behave like a proper woman in the African tradition and respect men and be quiet!  She really ticks all the boxes for me. Activist, feminist and environmentalist.
 
Any tips on how to ‘make your own’ cake head?
I just make a fruit cake though I used to do sponge cakes but they don’t keep as well. In both cases, apricot jam is the glue for the marzipan and the bits you add or take away. You don’t need to do much sculpting at the first stage, partly because you don’t want too much overhang. That is why I have the chin on the board - no overhang. With the marzipan there is more scope for sculpting. The nose and ears can be mainly marzipan. Icing is royal icing, and if there is no problem of a ridiculous haircut then a little glycerine can be added so that it’s not rock hard. You need to let the marzipan harden before doing the icing. The icing has to set before painting with cake colours. Just paint it like a watercolour. 

DJ Zoe Ellen Bryant is performing a #getnasty set for us on Sat 23 September. Tickets are £6 for the whole night and available on Eventbrite. 
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Tell us about yourself / your music
I work in Music Supervision alongside Pete Saville (Save Me, Born To Kill, The Durrells and Hooten & The Lady) and have a monthly show on Amazing Radio showcasing new music with female vocals. I'm a HUGE supporter of female musicians, and DJ regularly at Robomagic's ROAR night (FKA Finding The Female Headliner). I've also written a good few 'Female Vocals' pieces for Spindle Magazine.

What inspired you to get involved with Nasty Women UK?
A serendipitous trip to the hairdressers'! I overheard organiser Kasia mention that she was looking for female DJs, and volunteered myself. Celebrating female creativity is right up my street - and it's for a great cause, End Violence Against Women.

Why is such an event important?
Because women are important! And they're still massively under-represented, everywhere. That's why my radio show is female vocals only (men don't need any more air-time!) and why an event like this is not just important, but vital!

Why should people get involved?
To stick a huge middle finger up at Donald Trump, the most revolting misogynist of them all, whose phrase "nasty woman" inspired the Nasty Women movement. Such a genius appropriation!

Who are your Nasty heroines? (music or otherwise)
Off the top of my head, The Suffragettes and Spice Girls! Oh, and Petrol Girls - check out their track Touch Me Again (And I'll Fucking Kill You)!

What’s the Nastiest (woman) thing you’ve done? (chain yourself to any railings a la suffragette?)
Ah, I really don't think I've done anything worthy of mentioning alongside The Suffragettes' efforts. I've been to a good few women's rights marches, though, and am a relentless supporter of female musicians!

Electropunk duo Feral Five have been championed by BBC Radio 6 Music and are tipped as ones to watch in 2017 by Louder Than War. Feral Five is performing at Nasty Women UK on Saturday 23 September. Tickets are £6 and available on Eventbrite. ​
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Island-punk artist DJ Ms. Mohammed is performing on Saturday 23 September. Comedy from 7pm and music from 8.30pm. Tickets are £6 and available on Eventbrite. 
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Tell us about yourself / your music
I'm a solo artist from Trinidad and founder of Clit Rock. My music is an amalgamation of all of my cultural influences and identities. I call it island punk or alt-fusion.

What inspired you to get involved with Nasty Women UK?
My passion for activism and desire to join forces with others in the fight for equality. Nasty Women, like Clit Rock, understand that all oppression is connected and that none of us can move forward when half of us are held back. 

Why is such an event important?
Misogyny is a global issue. The feminine is constantly derided, defamed and associated with weakness. Anything that seeks to celebrate the feminine is revolutionary. 

Why should people get involved?
Do you believe in equality? There's your reason. It's time for action. 

Who are you Nasty heroines? (music or otherwise)
Gosh so many! My earliest memories of women defying stereotypes and causing "controversy" would have to be Madonna and Courtney Love. I learned early on that society hates powerful women, in fact I think "Nasty" is a slur reserved only for powerful women who won't toe the line.
Madonna might be the only conventionally attractive blonde in history to take her clothes off and annoy the hell out of heterosexual men. 

What’s the Nastiest (woman) thing you’ve done? (chain yourself to any railings a la suffragette?)
I'd like to think my whole life is one big Nasty Woman moment. But recently I'd have to say changing my stage name from the culturally ambiguous Dana Jade to utilising my real last name "Ms. Mohammed". There's so much fear and prejudice surrounding anyone perceived as Muslim in 2017 that it seems counterintuitive to put music out under this title. All it has done so far is make music PRs run screaming from me but I suppose that's why I'm doing it in the first place!
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It is a lot to take on for an already marginalised out gay, WOC, immigrant, living in post Brexit England in the era of Trump but many of my loved ones are facing a lot of hate right now, I want to stand up and be counted with them. 

Asifa Lahore will be speaking at our panel discussion "From Personal to Political" on Saturday 23 September 4.30pm. Tickets available on Eventbrite. 

Why are you getting involved with Nasty Women?
Any opportunity I can get to speak out on issues that affect me and other marginalized groups, be it trans-muslims or queer- muslims, is an opportunity I cannot miss. I feel privileged to stand alongside so many inspiring women to share my story. Sometimes, sharing our experiences and how we have overcome difficulties is one of the best ways we can help others to stand up for their own beliefs. 

Why now?
The time is right. The last twelve months have opened up many discussions surrounding gender, and it's clear that the world is divided in many respects. In a world of misoginy, where the white patriarchy still rules, we need to speak out, to stand up and be counted, to make our voices heard. It's hard to change the world on your own, but my experiences have shown me that there is so much support out there, so much compassion and empathy, and if we all speak out, we can bring these issues to light. There's strength in numbers!

How do you reconcile your faith with your sexuality and gender identity?
I’m living my life as a person who is multifaceted in their identity. I’m female, I am muslim. I fit all those boxes very comfortably and openly, I find it easy to negotiate my faith with all my other identities. But it poses a challenge for my family, my community and the world in many cases as well. It's extremely challenging but there’s a lot of realness, truth and authenticity in the challenge. The world we live in is at an interesting time in 2017.  Trump's ban of transgender people in the army, showed how much we still have to do. The positive thing from that is that is has brought the debate in the public eye, and shown that actually, our community is slowly becoming more accepted in the Western world.  
 
What changes have you experienced since your transition into living as a woman?
I’ve experienced some amazing times. I’m finally living in the gender that I’ve always known myself to be, but never taken that opportunity to be. I’m in the early stage of transition- I’ve only taken 6 months of hormones- but already I feel powerful, like a huge weight has been lifted off my mind in terms of gender. I feel ready to fight for other women to be their authentic true selves. In order to do that we have to overcome barriers of race, religion, creed, sexuality and discuss what gender means to us. I’m glad to be part of that discussion.

Helen McCookerybook is performing at our comedy & music night on Saturday 23 September. Tickets are £6 and available on Eventbrite. 

Tell us about yourself.
I am a solo musician/songwriter. I used to play in bands in the 1980s after starting my musical career by accident in a punk band. None of my bands were conventional: the most unusual was Helen and the Horns, where I played bass and sang, accompanied by a three-piece horn section, with no bass and drums in the band. I am on tour at the moment in an entirely DIY capacity, playing wherever the gigs take me. It has been one of the most liberating experiences of my life.

What inspired you to get involved with Nasty Women UK?
It should be part of every creative person's life to add their voices to groups of people who need advocacy. All women should be against violence in any form. I hope this will be the first of many opportunities for me to support an organisation with a positive and strong mandate to create change. 

Why is such an event important?
It's the old-fashioned concept of standing up to be counted. In terms of campaigning, the energy of core of women can be multiplied many times over with the support and interest of others. We have seen in Donald Trump and President Putin, in the most stark man-ifestation possible, that it is possible to attempt to roll back progress for women's rights at any time. we must never lose our focus on protecting our rights.

Why should people get involved?
Because throughout our lifetimes we need to keep learning new ways to support each other.

Who are you Nasty heroines?
Musically, Hildegarde von Bingen and Poly Styrene. Otherwise, Christine Battersby (she wrote a book called 'Gender and Genius'), my grandmother (what a survivor!) and my daughters.

Whats the Nastiest (woman) thing you’ve done?
Back in the day, writing a song called 'Thrush', which was my one-woman fightback against all those horrible misogynist lyrics sung by bands like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Now, documenting as forensically as possible the strategies that are put in place to prevent women from having not only a voice in the music industry, but also a sound

Salena Godden is one of the UK's most iconic Spoken Word artists. She has donated her latest poem RED, about the tampon tax and period poverty, to Nasty Women UK. Salena is headlining our Spoken Word evening at Stour Space on 24 September 2017. 
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