Queer (Safe) Spaces
In occasion of the digital festival Rainbows End, which took place in April 2021, I was invited participate in a panel about queer safe spaces and its necessity and role within society and nightlife.
In the panel I talked with spatial designer Colin Keays about how our works reflect on the experience of queer spaces. The panel is moderated by Vincent Wijlhuizen, director of the What You See Festival.
Colin Keays (he/him) is a spatial designer based in Rotterdam. With a background in architecture, his practice takes a critical approach to understanding the built environment while deconstructing the social, cultural and political forces that shape it. Through this lens, the outcomes of his research manifest as full scale immersive installations, and more recently through the production of digital environments.
Rainbows End was organized by Creative Coding Utrecht (CCU) and Her Vision. This multi-sensory art manifestation is exploring the boundaries of reality, intimacy and play, with a diverse range of activities. Thanks to talk shows, screenings, performances, workshops, and an online art exhibition, you will be immersed in new realities.
“As the closure of LGBTQ+ venues accelerates due to lockdowns, digitalisation and gentrification, it’s time to reflect on the radical legacy of the gay bar and what’s next for queer space. But what challenges does this future of digital gatherings hold for the queer community? When communities depend on social media technologies, they become exposed to an uncontrolled and diseased side of digital networks and intimacy. What does it mean to be queer and women in the era of digital interactions?”