Tim/Berlina
Tim and I pulled up a chair in his garden, or as he called it, a very well choreographed jungle, and we started to chat…
Tim Redfern and his Citroën 2CV, AKA Numero Uno, AKA The Beast.
Where did you grow up, and how did you work out the career path you would take?
Tim. I grew up Quaker in Essex, where it’s non-hierarchical, everything is equal, and there is common-sense environmentalism. That makes perfect sense to me; other religious ideologies are available, don’t get me wrong. Growing up like that made me profoundly uncompetitive, incredibly critical, and cynical of modern consumerism and society.
My parents got divorced; that was a big deal. The rug gets pulled out from underneath my feet. I commuted between Colchester and Frinton-on-Sea. I went to the grammar school in Colchester where dad lived with his new wife, and my mum remarried and lived in Frinton-on-Sea. Halfway through my A levels, I switched schools to be near a boy I was obsessed with. Word to the wise. Don’t do that!
After school, I went to be an Au Pair in America. I always wanted to live in America. I didn’t know how to get there until I read a poster in the sixth form corridor. It said Be an Au Pair in America. I thought I could do that, so I applied; I was the only boy who applied. The one family that called me up had three boys and lived just outside the city in New York.
It was a wonderful boho life; just north of the city; at 18. So at weekends, I would commute into the city and lead this double life. I didn’t want to break the law. That was always my thing; that is why laws are there. So I was straight-laced but had an amazing time, and I made many friends. Many of those friends were older, so we would go into the city, and they would take me to bars anyway; it was OK because I was with them. When I returned to England, I went to the University of London to do communications and cultural theory. Then I changed that course to media studies.
In 1995, I returned to America to work for the same family, which worked out nicely. I was older, wiser, and new the place like the back of my hand. My first visit was great, but I felt even more cultural awakening for the second time. I tried to think of ways to stay in the States. I had a visa, but I didn’t make that happen.
Back in England, I finished my degree and applied for a marketing job at the National Theatre and got it. At the time when Trevor Nunn took over as the artistic director. So that was a good time. The whole environment was about turning it from a formal fourth wall theatre building and making it much more accessible. So, I got to know people in all the different departments; I had a great time there. I had always wanted to work in theatre, but I wasn’t sure what I would do. You know, like wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. Then I started doing fundraising events for the development department. I discovered they were spending thousands of pounds getting these events companies. So I thought, why don’t you get people who work in the theatre to make the sets for the dinners? It felt like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Then I moved to a more commercial theatre in the West End, and started climbing the internal, backstage ladder of showbiz. Then I worked for Guy Chapman Associates; he was a producer of gay theatre at the time. I thought it was fantastic, but I didn’t enjoy the structure of working in an office. So this was the beginning of the end working in a conventional life and working.
I thought I would like to get a studio and throw paint around for a while. It was just a compulsion, a friend of my then boyfriend’s, a fantastic artist. She had a sabbatical planned; she was having a kid. So I had her studio for six months.
Then an audience development job came up at the National Theatre, a job I wanted to do, three days a week. I had just completed the Applications of Digital Art History MA. I became obsessed with taking cultural events and things like museums or theatre and putting them online or in a virtual environment. The National Theatre pioneered the technology to create live streaming for live shows in theatres. So I was doing audience development work.
I finished my job at the National Theatre on a Friday and told my boyfriend; that I’d really like to do event management. So on Sunday, the phone rang; my boyfriend’s friend asked if he knew anybody who does event management; they were looking for a PA for a job. The job was a Vodafone employees party
at Newbury Racecourse in a temporary structure. I thought that sounded like a laugh; I can do that. It was great because I was the assistant, so I learned the ropes, applying myself to it and getting on with it. But after the production manager argued with the boss, he left. So the big boss came up to me and said, I guess you’ve got all the information we need now. So you are now the production manager. OK. Right. I loved it. I was moving up in the world. So after a wage negotiation and the job was done, I decided I’m going back to America, to New York, in 2002 for three months to see how they do public art.
“Fundamentally, public art is my passion and people’s engagement with creativity. People getting involved in things, outside of a conventional way of working”.
Tim and Timberlina
When does Timberlina arrive on the scene?
Tim. I did a drag performance workshop on the Battersea Barge over a weekend; I was climbing the walls; I wanted to do something creative. I thought, maybe I want to perform. Two musician friends of mine were at the workshop. They said we like what you’re doing, would you like to join a band with us? So we formed a band called Kitschenettes and only did gigs in people’s kitchens around South London and Hackney, back in the day, thousands of years ago. But that was the start of things.
In 2004, I had other projects running simultaneously, like applying for Arts Council funding for a storytelling festival. So I embarked on this touring odyssey producing and curating these spoken word storytelling events. That was from January until December, when the funding ran out.
In 2005, I ran this club night; after living in New York, I was obsessed with cabaret. I’m still an utterly unconfident performer, but at the same time, there is this want to perform.
By 2006, I had met many artists, and we were mucking about all over London doing crazy things. By now, Johnny Woo descends on London, and it’s like, oh my God, this is what being a performance artist is all about. That was super inspiring.
My friend Nathan, an artist, starts a club night at Vauxhall Tavern. He asked would Timberlina like to come to work on the door. Sitting, you know, taking the money, being charming or telling people to sling their hook. So that is how I found this Timberlina of today, just being charming.
I start hosting on stage at Vauhallville and found the whole thing of just being able to jump onto a stage and being spontaneous in front of the audience. I never could convert that into improv’ stand-up; I tried, it was horrendous. That was happening parallel with freelancing at the museum, producing the Pride Legacy Project and the research project of which I am very proud.
In 2007 and 2008, I think there was a point where I peaked; I was on stage at the Vauxhall Tavern three or four times a week. It was like my dreams had come true. I’m a weird and wonderful stage performer.
When did you make the move to Rye?
Tim. In 2009 I decided I wanted to move to the countryside; I had grown up in rural Essex, which is beautiful. I was less terrified of being in the provinces by then. We were hanging out with friends in Rye, which was great. I liked this small town with a queer sensibility; of course, you’ve got E.F. Benson, James Henry at Lamb House. And then you’ve also got Derek Jarman over in Dungeness and Radclyffe Hall. So I moved to Rye. I drove the community bus; I grew my vegetables; was a gardener in the kitchen garden at Lamb House; it’s good times. But, like Tom and Barbara in The Good Life, I want to do everything myself.
I started doing international live arts performances involving Timberlina doing yoga, projecting that on walls. But here in Rye, I had a few shop jobs here and there; I just wanted to be local. I’d go up to town, do a gig, come back and pottering around Rye. Rye almost feels like a sibling or family when I think about it in that respect.
Then lockdown happened, and that was a game changer. I felt like there was this moment in the business they call show when tons of people gave up; because they had families to support and needed to find a new source of income.
From a positive point of view lockdown offered a great opportunity to evaluate life. What is all this rushing around all about? All this attention seeking, what is that about?
So these days it is nice having the bingo night at The Brewery Yard, that is going great. I’m still dabbling in museum work and cultural and creative consultancy. But the interesting thing is I have no idea where Timberlina is heading next. Other than she will appear at Rye Arts Festival in September, which is hilarious. I’m quite excited about Timberlina’s tour, taking people around and spreading gossip and intrigue.
Drag is an entirely different world today than when I started performing. Living in New York I was obsessed with American culture. I thought; actually, it’s more about a persona. I’ve got a book called Persona, and it’s about drag Queens in America talking about how they feel empowered when they’re in drag, as opposed to who they are when they’re men. And the transformative qualities of it and the stagecraft, if you will. RuPaul’s Drag Race has taken everything over, so it has become a monoculture.
Timberlina, for me, is about reconciling that kind of masculinity and femininity. I never wear fake breasts; I always keep a beard because I feel like we are men and women in our bodies, whoever we are. Obviously about the ego, but what does that mean? And do I want to be cocky, or maybe it’s about the fact that I’m hiding under this web of not feeling very confident? So part of the journey has been about reconciling the two, Tim and Timberlina. Right now, I feel most comfortable as Tim or Timberlina, which is nice.
There is something magical about Timberlina; I’ll be ultimately Frank. She is a very human character. You have somebody earnestly being a caring woman but is obviously not a woman. Although I’ll be honest, there is an element of enjoying wearing women’s clothes; it’s not like that. It is a real indulgence in that aspect of femininity and being beautiful and makes you act differently. From that, you then draw out this character.
I’ve attempted to steer myself down a path, but if I’m honest, I find it hard to pick a route and stick with it. Keeping up to date with technology is exhausting.
I aim to do as little as possible to afford as much free time as possible to potter about. That might mean gardening; my garden is a very well choreographed jungle, or I drive the community bus. I love floating about and creatively engaging with the community.
I’ve always been interested in gardening; lockdown allowed me to get more involved. So then I did a course in permaculture (permanent agriculture), a subject that I love. Creating and making landscapes more sustainable, regenerative gardening and having as little impact on the Earth as possible.
So it’s about companion planting and how things work together. Marking out what you’re growing in specific areas; is called Zoning. Suddenly there is this harmony between this self-sustaining structure allowing nature to create environments that yield an abundance of wealth.
“So right now, living in Rye, I do my gigs and gardening, and when I’m not driving my Citroën 2CV I cycle around and take my bicycle up to London.”
Tim Redfern + Timberlina
It’s a thing of legend. Bingo and Dancing Show hosted by Timberlina and sidekick, DJ Auntie Maureen! The first Friday of each month.
www.thebreweryyardclub.co.uk/bingo
Timberlina’s Instagram
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