Beyond binaries
hey theys! challenges the rigid binaries that define sexuality. Why should your sexuality be fixed? Why can it only be one thing at a time? The labels we use to define ourselves (gay, straight, lesbian, non-binary, and so on) can feel like once we choose one, it’s set for life.
Current design often overlooks queer perspectives, force-fitting them into binary social structures that don’t reflect how diverse sexuality really is. Men or women. Gay or straight. Sexual or non-sexual. These either/or categories do not pay homage to more inclusive ways in which sexual experiences can be visualised and discussed.
hey theys! empowers the queer community to actively shape the representation of their own narratives. The immersive art installation, which toured the TU Delft campus this spring, will now be exhibited at the DDW 2026.
A living research
The project is grounded in queer theory and empirical field research. The focus is on documenting lived experiences; unfiltered narratives of queer individuals are the starting point, rather than theories or assumptions. hey theys! was awarded €4000,- by the TU Delft FAST fund for Ambitious Students for its development and construction.
Visitors are invited to interact with queer concepts, and reflect on their own sexuality. hey theys! is essentially a ‘living’ research. Through interviews, questionnaires, interactive components, and a guestbook, when visitors engage with the installation, it continuously collects new insights for my ongoing research into how sensitive topics can be discussed openly between people.
More than sex
Sexuality is about far more than just sex. It includes attraction, behaviour, preferences, identity, and all the ways these intersect with our social, cultural, and personal lives. By bringing queer experiences to life and creating space to talk about them openly, hey theys! shows how sexuality can be explored beyond the physical act.
After all, if sexuality refuses to fit in a box, why should its representation?
