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A vivid mural celebrating QUT’s LGBTIQA+ community has been designed and installed by QUT Creative Industries students at the Kelvin Grove campus.
Through the Screen, which draws on the students’ experience of exploring their identity through digital mediums, features traditional mural techniques and digital augmentation. Its appearance during International Pride Month aligns with QUT’s LGBTIQA+ 2023-2025 Action Plan.
On display at R Block, the concept was created by visual art student Caroline Girdler and interaction design student James Hua. Its installation was assisted by five other students - Michael Bethurem, Frances Hitzke, Milan MacMahon, Cara Orendain and Arlo Tarry.
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Guided by teaching staff with expertise in public art and cultural placemaking, the mural was selected as part of a Creative Industries Project unit aimed at providing the opportunity for students to experience art and design commissioning processes and reflect on meaningful community engagement to create real-world learning outcomes.
Reflecting their experiences on campus and beyond, the largely purple and pink mural features and celebrates digital spaces such as video games and the internet where it is possible through a digital avatar to create different appearances, bodies, genders, and experiences. Pop-up windows showing such avatars with manipulated glitch effects symbolise a deviation from what is seen as the norm.
An image of an anonymous person reaching through the computer screen is obscured by the scenery of the site but emerges from the shadows into this digital world.
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In their pitch, the artists describe Through the Screen as having a retro aesthetic, using iconography of early computer systems to give the work a recognised and deliberately old-fashioned look, allowing the mural to age without the imagery shown becoming unintentionally outdated.
Lead artist and co-creator of the mural Caroline Girdler said it had been a fantastic opportunity to learn about what goes into planning a project of this size and gaining experience in a new medium.
“Working with a team who each have such different art backgrounds as well as a unique point of view in regard to how they identify with the queer community has been such a joy,” Caroline said.
“Just knowing this mural is going to be seen by so many LGBTQIA+ people is an amazing feeling and in turn, I hope that they feel seen too.”
Co-creator James Hua, who works mostly as a digital artist, said he enjoyed being pushed out of his comfort zone.
“This experience has taught me new skills that I would've never had the chance to achieve, such as working with physical paints and thinking more critically about my art in a queer and real-life sense,” James said.
“Also, to be able to paint a mural to highlight my and other's experience in the Queer space has me giddy with glee.”
Through the Screen is now on permanent display at R Block, outside the library, QUT Kelvin Grove campus.
Main image: l/r- Milan MacMahon, Caroline Girdler, Michael Bethurem, seated, James Hua, Frances Hitzke, seated, Cara Orendain and Arlo Tarry. Photo: Anthony Weate
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 3151, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
After hours: 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au