The man excited to see his “little idea” brought to life

A man is “thrilled” to see his “little idea” come to life.

Luke Fawcett is the mastermind behind Queer Spaces – a new archival exhibition celebrating “the vibrant, humble and sometimes grimy LGBTQ+ spaces of Liverpool’s past, present and future”.

The 24-year-old, who lives in the city centre, came up with the idea three years ago after moving to the city to study architecture at the University of Liverpool and “quickly realized there wasn’t a lot of information about queer. spaces – their history or where they existed”.

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Using people’s memories, photographs and personal recordings, Luke, originally from Bradford, hopes to collect and share the fascinating stories behind Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ buildings.

The urban designer, who is queer himself, aims to “shed light on the people and their selfless resilience that made these spaces possible” – some spaces that are now lost, demolished and repurposed, including the Magic Hour and Jody Nightclub.

He told the ECHO: “It feels amazing to me. It started as just a small idea, and now it’s amazing to see it grow into something people can visit and learn from.

“The biggest thing for me is that it started when I just wanted to learn about my history and the history of my community. There is no built legacy for queer people, and if there is, it is often hidden and lost.

“I feel very excited to be able to share this now with everyone.”

Following Luke’s first sold-out event as part of Homotopia Festival 2023, architecture practice “Unit3 Design Studio” will host the immersive exhibition in the Baltic Triangle.

Unit3 director Martin Shutt added: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to work with and host Luke’s amazing collection of artefacts, art, building plans and personal photographs and it’s a great opportunity for the public to learn about heritage, history and queer history in Liverpool. culture.

“As an LGBTQ-owned company, we are honored to play a small role in showcasing our hometown’s architectural heritage to a wider audience.”

The exhibition will be open from Monday 3rd June to Monday 11th November from 2pm to 4pm at the Jordan Street venue.

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