A NEW solo exhibition exploring the rich histories of British pub culture through a queer lens will be held next week.

At ‘Kitchen Conversation’ with Jo Lathwood and Dr Amy Burnett, Ms Lathwood presents Down The Hatch, which is centred on the traditions of brewing, pub signage, and community gathering.

The event takes place at East Quay, Watchet, on Thursday, October 23, and will run from 7pm to 9pm. Ticket price includes some food and drink.

It looks to reclaim and reimagine the overlooked stories of British pubs, especially those of medieval female brewers known as ‘Ale Wives’.

In her exhibition, Lathwood looks to reclaim their legacy through a feminist lens, creating a dialogue between past and present.

Through newly commissioned sculptures, films, and drawing, Lathwood looks at the origins of these communal spaces and the visual language that defines them.

At the heart of the exhibition are two large-scale, sculptures that invite audiences to inhabit and explore, with one taking the form of a large, upturned cauldron, and the second inviting visitors to ascend a spiral walkway flanked by carved, ‘wiggling’ wooden uprights, evoking ancient pub markers and ale-stirring sticks.

A series of films shown in the exhibition seek to capture both traditional and contemporary brewing processes, including footage from Drop Bear Brewing, a female-led, queer brewery in Swansea specialising in non-alcoholic craft beer.

The footage draws parallels between historical brewing rituals and modern-day practices, inviting viewers to reflect on continuity, transformation, and resistance.

The exhibition features dried hops hanging from the ceiling, referencing both ale’s central ingredient and the earliest form of the pub sign, a bush or vine.

Jo Lathwood is a queer artist whose multidisciplinary practice spans drawing, sculpture, and large-scale installation. Her work often begins in response to a specific site, material, process, or event.