Queer Selfmade SexTech

Merel Noorlander received a grant for the continuation of their research into the vernaculars of public queer and sex-positive spaces; gestures, scents, sounds and colors, and how they shape personal and cultural life and the tools we make. Building on the work of Paul B. Preciado and long-term artistic research, the project investigates self-made sex toys via social design, projection-mapped installations, performances and community practice. Linked with the SexTech Lab and collaborations with BDSM practitioners, sex workers and queer/trans communities, this grant funds field research with non-commercial pleasure-object makers of everyday life. It will bring makers and participants into multidisciplinary, interactive formats to build a network and platform for sharing maker knowledge, processes, stories and reproducible techniques, challenging commercial and normative models of intimacy and technology.

Merel is a Dutch artist, designer, curator, and educator, currently based in Amsterdam. Raised in Amsterdam’s Red-Light District, they grew up amongst a self-chosen queer family and captain of their boat. Merel holds an MFA in 4D Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, US, and a BFA from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, Netherlands. Their work focuses on collective empowerment within sextech, community-based media design, and participatory processes, in strong collaboration with LGBTQIA+, migration, and sex work communities. They were previously Visiting Assistant Professor at the Multi-disciplinary Design Division, College of Architecture + Planning, University of Utah.