The Queer Library

The Queer Library is a project I started in September 2023 as part of my Master Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy. During the course of the programme, the project slowly developed into its current form, which will be presented for my graduation in the summer of 2026.

The project comes from a personal interest in safety: how people experience it, where it can be found, and what allows someone to feel at ease in a space. Through a series of black-and-white photographic portraits and conversations, the project centres lived experiences rather than fixed ideas of what queer identity or safety should look like.

Instead of showing a single story, the work highlights the diversity and complexity of real people and their everyday lives. It focuses on humanity rather than stereotypes or simplified representations.

Participants are photographed in locations they chose themselves. These are places that feel meaningful to them, and where they feel a sense of comfort or belonging. By focusing on personal stories and individual perspectives, the project aims to show queer lives beyond a standardised mould.

Alongside the photographic series, these stories are translated into a hands-on toolkit. The toolkit helps make the often abstract idea of safety more tangible and invites people to reflect on how safety is experienced and created in everyday environments.

Interested to learn more? Follow @the_queerlibrary on Instagram or go to www.thequeerlibrary.nl