I am proposing community photo studio sessions at The Bearded Tit in Redfern, a queer institution and bar. Owned by an Asian lesbian woman (Joy Ng), the space functions as a safe haven where queer and trans-POC have chosen to build affiliation and kinship networks. Joy and I are collaborating to host bimonthly photo sessions for at least three months, where people can drop in to have their photo taken for free. We are aiming for 10-20 portraits and written reflections. At the end of this, we aim to produce a zine which will provide a tangible object – a counter-archive to the ways through which queerness has been portrayed by mainstream media.

Queer spaces such as clubs and bars have historically played an integral role in queer life, providing a gathering space where people feel safe to be themselves and express intimacy with one another. The pandemic has left an indelible impact on queer nightlife around the world. For example, San Francisco’s oldest gay bar permanently closed after 55 years due to COVID. The Bearded Tit faces similar financial struggles as a result of two prolonged lockdowns.

Ultimately, through this project, I seek to explore the joy and pleasure in the relationships we cultivate with one another in the context of this unique institution. It is a site where concepts of home and family are redefined. Additionally, the use of studio portraiture has been used as a means of self-representation, an act particularly integral to queer aesthetic visual practices. I believe that the project would contribute to important and timely conversations about queer community spaces and studio portraiture, which has not yet been explored in this format in Sydney.