Faculty of Design

Graphic Design

Kate McDermott

Beyond Light

What makes a future queer? How do we live and die in queer utopia? How can we create space for hope and joy to coexist with death and grief? Queerness sparks questions with not one, but many answers.

“Beyond Light is a speculative memorial for the queer utopian future. The project reclaims and reinvents memorial rituals, returning agency to queer people that is so often taken away after death. Through a series of workshops facilitated by the designer, LGBTQ2S+ folks wrote their own obituaries, imagining their life and legacy in the queer utopian future. The resulting digital archive is a reservoir of hopes and dreams - bursting with freedom, promise, and overwhelming queer joy.The handmade ceramic oil lamps make up an ever-growing community memorial that compliments the digital archive — holding space for both personal and collective grief. The lamps function individually, with ergonomic finger grooves that create an intimate connection between object and user. They also fit together, with interlocking joints that allow them to stack infinitely. Each lamp is an addition to the collective legacy of queer ancestors, embodying generations learning, growing, honouring and celebrating those that came before them. Anyone can dedicate the flame of a lamp to an individual by saying their unique dedication message aloud — a recording of each person reading their own message is attached to their obituary. When someone in the community dies, a new lamp is added and all the lamps are lit to welcome their spirit. The memorial exists in this state for the duration of the exhibition, welcoming all the spirits that each visitor brings.”