queering the home

VIS312H1 : collage

john h. daniels faculty of architecture, landscape, and design

university of toronto

fall 2022

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queering the home challenges the societal understanding of the traditional north american suburban home and the emphasis put on the heteronormative nuclear family that became pervasive in the post war period that still exists within our contemporary zeitgeist. upon first glance, this series of four collages depicting spaces in the typical suburban home elicit ideas associated with the heteronormative nuclear family that society has favoured over other familial arrangements, but study of the work reveals aspects of the home that do not conform to these preconceived ideas. as the viewer further interrogates the spaces of the home, they uncover objects and memorabilia that would be or still are considered threats to the sanctity placed upon the home as a pillar for representing true moral values and identity. however, the domicile is understood as a place of privacy and often the activity in the home takes place “behind closed doors.” thus, the interrogation and questioning the use of the space in non-traditional ways is a violation of those inhabiting the space in the same way that the viewer closely examines and uncovers the layers. queering the home thus critiques these outdated societal understandings of the heteronormative family structure informing an understanding of how the home should operate and anything that existed outside of that would be considered deviant. these photomontages, then, question how do queerness and sexuality alter the understanding of domestic spaces and how do they fit within our contemporary understanding of the “home”? after being privy to the full understanding of these queer-infused domestic spaces, are they understood differently than before and if so, why does this home have to be understood as an other, despite taking place behind closed doors in a home like any other?