INFLATEACUB X MATT FORD
Subject: Tom aka inflateacub
Words + photos: Matt Ford
read: 2.5 min
“Well, I'm a gum chewer, normally. But when I heard about these ticket things of Wonka's, I laid off the gum and switched to candy bars, instead.
Now, of course, I'm right back on gum. I chew it all day, except at mealtimes when I stick it behind my ear.
”
Violet Beauregarde, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Back in 2022 I spent the day photographing Tom, also known as Inflateacub, a proud fetishist whose pleasures revolve around shine, puff, colour (usualy blue), or a healthy combination of the three.
We started the session during that year’s epic heatwave, heading down Whitechapel to make a series of ironic “girl about town” style portraits dressed in his favourite gear. ACCOMPANIED by the smell of melting rubber, He floated down the high street in full inflatable glory, seemingly oblivious to the attention coming from every direction.
As Tom explains, his fetish dones’t apear offensive or Taboo on the surface. If he were walking through the street in skin-tight black latex as a gimp, the reaction might be very different. Instead we were met mostly with bemused smiles, mild shock, and plenty of sly photos from curious passers-by.
For Tom, the kink is partly about constructed embarrassment: the act of being looked at, becoming a spectacle. During our trip to the big Tesco in Hackney Central, that’s exactly what happened. Though judging by his nonchalance, I’m not convinced he was embarrassed at all.
Tom’s unabashed pride in his sexuality, and his eagerness to talk openly about it, is undeniably endearing and quietly empowering.
“I’m the world record holder in chewing gum. I’m not afraid of anything.”
Violet Beauregarde, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Back at the studio we shot the final portraits before filming an interview that later premiered as part of the Voyeur exhibition. During the conversation Tom explains that the fascination began when he was young, watching Violet Beauregarde inflate in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory after chewing the forbidden gum.
Watch the full film to hear Tom tell the story in his own words.
