A new installation at the Firstsite gallery in Colchester is the culmination of a new LGBT history of East Anglia.

Outhouse is a mobile queer exhibition travelling across East Anglia, the transparent walls of which feature photographs and items related to historic and contemporary LGBT culture from the East of England.

Earlier this year artist Ian Giles established “Open Ramble East” an inclusive and versatile group of people who organised walks for local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and straight people.

These events were about establishing a space and meeting point in which Ian and others could explore what it means to be queer in a regional setting and question the evolving status of queer people within society.

Ian says: “This is being run as part of the New Geographies project and when I saw the map of East Anglia, I noticed large chunks of the map that were just green. That got me to wondering what it might be like to be gay and living there.

“I did a bit of research and didn’t find a lot, suspecting like a lot of queer history, much of it has been under the radar.”

Attempting to discover more, Ian set up the series of walks.

Photographs from the public walks held in Cambridge, Colchester, Norwich and Great Yarmouth are mixed with images of proto-gay couples from 17th century Cambridge and queer symbolism.

The installation also features material from the Gay Outdoors Club archive, a national rambling group founded in 1973, and Pink Is The Strongest Colour, which is made from found footage of which only the pink ink has not degraded.

As it moves from gallery to gallery Outhouse will host social gatherings, talks and meetings.

These include a talk by Brooke Sylvia Palmieri at Kettle’s Yard; a Seventies queer funk disco at OUTPOST Norwich and recreation of the now shuttered Great Yarmouth night-club Dick Van Dykes.

Outhouse is at Firstsite, Colchester, until September 27.