Title:
Bags of Rose Petals
#0158
 
Excerpt:
When asked about the significance of the studio to themselves and their community, Kitty and Stacy answered that the studio has become an essential space for exchange and social interaction of femme e … read more

† Queer spaces are fragmented † you can find it everywhere † all over the place

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← Glossary
Title:
The Backroom
#0214
Alternative Titles:
the hidden room, Hinterzimmer, backstage
Medium:
Visual, Community, Architecture
Place:
diverse
Time:
Night, Past, Descending
Year:
diverse
Related People:
tba.
Related Stories:
1. Backroom Stories from the Lesbian and Queer Bars in LA (coming soon!)

2. Ambavi Bar in Tbilisi/Georgia holds a very special interior architectural feature, a certain kind of backroom. A high wall next to the bar is fully covered with wooden doors with luxurious window parts. The windows are colorfully enlightened from the back. This entire wall of doors is lifted approx. one meter above the floor. At one segment the bare wall behind the doors opens up a low tunnel kind of passage. To move through one needs to duck their head and pass these 1,5 meters to reach the room behind it. It inevitably comes with a good surprise how one enters and perceives the second, or so to say, the back room. Separated additionally with plastic curtains, one will find not just the smokers lounge here, but a totally different vibe, different music, decoration, cozy sitting arrangements and even a small balcony.
Considering some other specific aspects of this place, like the entrance door that you will only pass after ringing the bell, this queer friendly bar space can give you an extra portion of feeling safe, like, no one will accidentally find you there.
Materiality Scale:
10
Original Appearance:
diverse
Glossarial Appearance:
repros of archive sources, digital files, descriptive texts, interview recordings
Media:
Images
A list of Turn Ons
Tags:
hidden, dating, way in
Emotion Tags:
Joy, Curiosity, Fear, At Ease
Release Date:
07.09.2024
Latest Editing:
← Glossary
Title:
Portable Platform
#0200
Alternative Titles:
moving exaltation, a stage of being, we come where you are, floating center(s)
Medium:
Visual, Community, Architecture
Place:
"LILA-X-BATH - visions for a queer community space" exhibition @ Stadtteilhaus Dresden Neustadt; “Beyond Borders It’s Made Up Of Islands“ space concept for the assembly and festival “Fragile Solidarity“ by Akademie Schloss Solitude; "Outdoor Office" portable outdoor working structure for art educators soppa/bleck, Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg
Time:
NonLinear, Ascending
Year:
2021; 2022; 2020
Related People:
–
Related Stories:
Materiality Scale:
10
Original Appearance:
objects made from wood, wheels, metal
Glossarial Appearance:
photo documentation, original objects
Media:
Images
Tags:
movable, extension
Emotion Tags:
Joy, Curiosity
Release Date:
07.09.2024
Latest Editing:
← Glossary
Title:
Tinsel Edge
#0207
Alternative Titles:
Lamettakante, Glitzerkante, glitter edge
Medium:
Ephemera, Visual, Text
Place:
Mozaika Bar, 8 Vashlovani St, Tbilisi
Time:
NonLinear, Descending
Year:
2024
Related People:
–
Related Stories:
Short cut tinsel curtains attached to a lamp in the corner and at the stairway up to the second floor of Mozaika bar. A flickering fringe, always in movement, constantly reflecting and moving the surrounding lights. An extension of a given, material edge, a blurry adhesion, softening of a border, material and aerial at the same time. Move through it: rays, breezes, bodies. Here we are, standing on the tinsel edge of the world.
Materiality Scale:
5
Original Appearance:
tinsel drapes in red and gold
Glossarial Appearance:
photos, atmospheric description
Media:
Images
Tags:
decoration, edges, glam, extension
Emotion Tags:
Joy, Sadness, At Ease, Curiosity
Release Date:
07.09.2024
Latest Editing:
← Glossary
Title:
Entrances
#0186
Alternative Titles:
hidden/secret entrances, doors doors doors, Dyke Bar Postcards, Passing By
Medium:
Visual, Ephemera, Architecture, Digital
Place:
diverse, everywhere
Time:
Day, Night, Past, Future, Ascending
Year:
whenever a queer space with a physical entrance existed
Related People:
Alison Sawyer, Carolin Weathers, Marna Deitsch
Related Stories:
by and about (ex)bouncers of queer spaces (coming soon!)
Materiality Scale:
10
Original Appearance:
archive sources (div. magazines, postcards), photographies, originally: wood, metal
Glossarial Appearance:
Repros of pages of the magazine + digital files, interview snippets
Media:
Images
The door of the Cubbyhole NY, 2017
Tags:
closeted, dating, way in
Emotion Tags:
Joy, Fear, Curiosity
Release Date:
07.09.2024
Latest Editing:
← Glossary
Title:
Center of Connection
#0193
Alternative Titles:
Xenter of Connextion, center of attention, limelight, Herzstück, bonfire
Medium:
Text, Visual, Ephemera, Community
Place:
Barnsdale Park, Los Angeles/USA, part of "Funeral for a lesbian bar" event by "die Blaue Distanz"
Time:
Night, Past, Future, NonLinear
Year:
2018
Related People:
Angela Brinskele (community photographer), Nora Beckman (photographer / event space host), Marna Deitsch (retired bar tender in lesbian bars)
Related Stories:
The participants of the "Funeral for a lesbian bar" event, at a certain point of the evening, left the indoor event space "Cities of Days", to go for a short protest walk in the streets with their formerly self made flags and signs. The walk led them up Barnsdale Park hill, from where you have a wonderful night view over the city. They gathered at a wide patch of grass and arranged the flag poles and some additional light chains as a center of a big gathering circle. The center piece almost evoked the picture and magic of a bonfire. The invitation for the event already asked people to bring one thing that "shouldn't be missed in a community space". So everyone started sharing their brought 'gifts', purred warm tea, passed around objects or shared stories. The 'bonfire of protest flags' - enlightened but not set on fire - combined the well-known coziness of a fireplace gathering with centering everyones values and desires, demands and expressions, manifested on the individually created flags. The shared matters reached from back-in-the-days stories, current struggles and emotional support, towards finding new fellows for collective activities and projects.
Materiality Scale:
5–10
Original Appearance:
a variety of fabric flags with wooden poles, two light chains, an amazing group of people
Glossarial Appearance:
documentary photos, descriptive text, original flags (only offline!)
Media:
Images
Tags:
gathering, pole, center, temporary, joy
Emotion Tags:
Joy, Grief, Sadness, Fear, At Ease, Curiosity
Release Date:
07.09.2024
Latest Editing:
← Glossary
Title:
Playlist
#0179
Alternative Titles:
Favorit Songs, memorable important songs from the queer bars, just music, Lesbian Hits, Soundtrack of the Bar, Soundtrack of my Heart
Medium:
Audio, Text
Place:
diverse, the bars, the clubs, your home, your phone
Time:
NonLinear, Night, Past
Year:
ever since humans did compile playlists and until they will do so
Related People:
Angela Brinskele, Marna Deitsch, Paata Sabelashvili, Ana Kordzaia-Samadashvili
Related Stories:
1. The first time Angela Brinskele (head of June Mazer Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles) saw a concert by Melissa Etheridge was in a lesbian bar in Long Beach (CA/USA) called "Que Sera" (operated 1978–2020). Afterwards Angela went to see Melissa play every week! This was in the 90s. And we all know where Melissa made it from there ...

2. Paata Sabelashvili:
"Madonna helped me once before, in the early 1990s when I was undergoing very painful introspective stage of coming out. Her „Vogue“, „Secret“ etc. were like a ray of light in a total darkness. No internet then. I could only read about homosexuality in „Great Soviet Encyclopedia“, which said that not only homosexuality is a mental illness and a perversion but also a crime punishable under Soviet penal code. So the entire world was turned against her (including famous musicians and the Pope alike) and everyone made fun of her and hated her for what she was enjoying doing. That was the first impetus for me. I started thinking, look everyone hate her but she’s so fucking cool! So the more they hated her, the more I loved her. Time passed, never had time to go back to any music with vocals any more let alone Madonna. 
But recently, when I decided to withdraw from the opiate addiction and locked myself up in the detox rehab, I started re-listening to her once my meds started working. Before I would not even check on her. Did not even know she had a tour which already completed a European leg. And the US looked impossible on such a short notice because of the visa. Once I left rehab, I infected my friends with this idea of catching the closing of her performance in Mexico City at the end of April 2024. But while we all were arranging our trip to Mexico, she announced the additional and very final date after Mexico in Rio in early May. So I tried to convince others to go to Rio instead. But they were almost set with all the preparations. They noticed how much I wanted to make it to Rio and got me really everything, like oversees ticket, hotel next to her at the beachfront, even pocket money. In other words, they gave me a rehab gift as a welcome back." 

(Paata Sabelashvili is a pioneer of queer activism in Georgia and one of the most notable figures of local civil activism. Together with the author Ana Kordzaia-Samadashvili, they are hosting the incredible “Tbilisi Queer Tour" (since 10 years) where they shared this story.)
Materiality Scale:
0
Original Appearance:
audible music, jukebox
Glossarial Appearance:
(play)list with songs that were the most important for people we’ve interviewed at the time
Media:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4D3fGRKchcbyZCqweyUv3P?si=oAwT6HxbRbe0h727ZvZamQ&pi=e-yyNATpWrTw-Z
Images
Playlist Lesbian Hits, Screenshot
Tags:
lesbian musicians, dance, sing, joy
Emotion Tags:
Joy, Grief, Sadness, At Ease
Release Date:
07.09.2024
Latest Editing:
24.10.2024
← Glossary
Title:
Room without a Shade
#0172
Alternative Titles:
Raum ohne Schatten, shadowless, light-filled, seamless, shadeless
Medium:
Text, Visual, Community
Place:
HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 56, 01109 Dresden
Time:
Day, Night, Past, NonLinear
Year:
2018
Related People:
–
Related Stories:
“The Closer I Come, The Further I Go” is the name of the space design that die Blaue Distanz created for the second edition of the “dgtl fmnsm” festival, themed “Intimacy.” Their intention was to create a space without “dark corners” to hide in, but rather a place that embraces complexity, closeness, and visibility.

The space concept aspired to spatially implement and articulate various facets of intimacy, making them tangible. How do we want to collectively approach intimacy in spatial terms—negotiate it, experience it, or perhaps not experience it? How can darker corners, hidden and suppressed aspects carefully be brought closer to practices of shared spaces?

Atmospheric and Scenic Description:
The lighting mood is bright, almost glaring and radiant, illuminating the whole space. It is created by a mix of natural daylight and additional artificial light.
All window shutters are open, allowing the daylight to enter; in contrast to the typical approach of this space, where the windows are covered to create a "black box" environment.
The first of the two artificial light units illuminates the architecture in the described glaring manner. The second unit is programmed to simulate the changes in light intensity and temperature throughout the day within the interior space. A space that always guarantees a certain brightness, whichever time of day.
Edges and corners blurring out under the even, glistening light.
The bright surfaces of walls and floor enhance the lighting concept by reflecting light and maintaining its presence within the room. The floor is completely covered with a white carpet; a feature more commonly associated with private or intimate spaces.

In “The Closer I Come, The Further I Go,” die Blaue Distanz strives for a spatial structure that can be navigated with a minimum of barriers. Seamless.
„...and maintaining its presence within the room.“

Is a room without a shade automatically a room without a shape?

How can we support all kinds of shapes being present in the same room?

Materiality Scale:
5
Original Appearance:
fully equipped festival space
Glossarial Appearance:
excerpts of written concept for space design, photos
Media:
Images
festival space DGTL FMNSM 2018
Tags:
gathering, pole, visibility, simultaneity
Emotion Tags:
Joy, Curiosity, At Ease
Release Date:
07.09.2024
Latest Editing:
07.09.2024
← Glossary
Title:
Halfway up the Stairs
#0165
Alternative Titles:
Auf halber Treppe, pending, in-betweenness, nest of pigeons
Medium:
Architecture, Text, Visual
Place:
Mimosa Bar, 8 Vashlovani St, Tbilisi, Georgia
Time:
NonLinear, Night
Year:
2024
Related People:
–
Related Stories:
At Mimosa Bar in Tbilisi: A sitting spot like a two-people bench is positioned by the window. While I am used to window sills serving as seats, this one is situated not beneath but on the upper level of the window frame. A staircase leading to the room’s upper level provides access to that special kind of window bench:

† The window bench is right between the floors. Also between worlds, and sets of beliefs?

† A feeling of being in the basement even though it’s half way to the upper floor.
† A situation where someone is halfway to a goal without having reached it yet and being somewhere anyway. And being somewhere anyway!
- Sometimes a niche, or a lack of resources to create, or a spot where one fits, even though they feel edgy and hostile and don't know how to relate.
Materiality Scale:
10
Original Appearance:
architectural feature
Glossarial Appearance:
field notes, photographies
Media:
Images
Stair view in a cozy redlight disco ball atmosphere. The stairs are wooden, some planks on the sides are layered with fur imitation.
Tags:
hidden, blending in, niche
Emotion Tags:
At Ease, Boredom, Curiosity
Release Date:
07.08.2024
Latest Editing:
← Glossary
Title:
Bags of Rose Petals
#0158
Alternative Titles:
Make Dreams Come True, Dream Machine, Red Roses, re-claiming love and passion, roses as a shield, foliage of blossoms
Medium:
Text, Visual, Performance
Place:
Kitty Dance | Pole Dance | Studio, 8 Sokrat Arshba St, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia
Time:
Ascending, Day
Year:
2024
Related People:
Kitty, Stacy
Related Stories:
When asked about the significance of the studio to themselves and their community, Kitty and Stacy answered that the studio has become an essential space for exchange and social interaction of femme expats in Tbilisi. In addition to workshops and classes, they proudly shared that the studio also hosts movie nights and photo shoots, providing a space for femmes to express themselves as freely as possible. The studio's aim is more focused on what is often referred to as exotic pole dance rather than pole dance as a sport. Both remembered that they have two huge bags of (artificial) rose pedals stored because a pole dancer was wishing for a photo shoot surrounded by a huge amount of them. The dancer dedicated the dance and the shooting to herself and called it "I am my own valentine“. Kitty added that their style of dancing is closely tied to self-expression and reclaiming autonomy, such as beginning the process of healing from past, traumatic experiences. Although she did not explicitly mention this, there was a mutual, non-verbal acknowledgment of patriarchal misogynies. And most likely, it is during these moments that the "Queen of all Flowers"—the petals of roses—serve as a protective shield and provide the stage you have been longing for.


Materiality Scale:
8
Original Appearance:
oral history, dance
Glossarial Appearance:
field notes, atmospheric description, sketch
Media:
Images
An artistic drawing by Franzi Goralski, that shows a rose head, above two full bags with roses
Tags:
protection, prop, reclaiming, harvest, joy, pole, dance
Emotion Tags:
Joy, At Ease
Release Date:
07.08.2024
Latest Editing:
← Glossary
Title:
The Room of Dirt
#0221
Alternative Titles:
Abstellraum, home of chaos, scattered minds, battery, „seek and hopefully find“-storage, fragile spine, the closeted closet
Medium:
Text, Ephemera
Place:
Kitty Dance | Pole Dance | Studio, 8 Sokrat Arshba St, Tbilisi 0160, Georgia
Time:
Ascending, NonLinear
Year:
2024
Related People:
Kitty, Stacy
Related Stories:
After chatting for an hour or more in the entrance area on the sofas, I asked for a tour through the studio. The whole intention of the studio is following the passion of dancing and expressing. Framed by a „Hello Kitty“ garland and pink fake fur, we walk by the changing room curtained-off by heavy grey fabrics. Behind, we enter the dancing room. Six poles facing a huge mirror. The minimalistic interior design without logos and with bright white walls allows for a variety of expressions while rehearsing or performing for a shooting. Looking at the door in the right back of the room, Kitty laughed unexpectedly and said that this is the door to the 'room of dirt'. "Do you wanna see it, too?" I agreed – and felt entrusted. The room kept all kinds of materials, high heels, empty boxes, clothes, pole supply stuff, and what not; but without shelfs. As if this is the things' territory and we just sneak peaked in. Thank you for letting me in! Kitty's question sticks with me and I am wondering why. Maybe because the room has a name and naming shapes realities. Maybe because she showed me another dimension of her reality and I conceived something from reading the name on a metaphorical layer. Maybe I’m overthinking.
Materiality Scale:
7
Original Appearance:
a room
Glossarial Appearance:
field notes, atmospheric description
Media:
Images
Tags:
core, appendix, invisible, hidden, harvest
Emotion Tags:
Curiosity, Sadness, Joy
Release Date:
07.09.2024
Latest Editing:
← Glossary
Title:
Directions
#0228
Alternative Titles:
turn-by-turn-navigation, Wegbeschreibung, treasure map, be taken by the hand, embedded in the city‚ accessibility seeks safety, camouflage, (don’t) leave traces to find
Medium:
Visual, Text
Place:
Divers
Time:
Non-linear, Ascending
Year:
1890 - now
Related People:
–
Related Stories:
Directions come in various forms and are often the first step towards attending a queer venue. They represent prior information, a caring gesture from the hosts, and a tool to find a destination—or, sometimes, to guide attendees to an alternative meeting point. These directions can feel like part of a "seek and hide" game, where identifying the right turnout can be a challenge.
The way directions to queer spaces are communicated often depends on the political context. In regions where living openly as queer can lead to violence or legal consequences, balancing 'accessibility' and 'safety' in the way directions are shared (how? where?) becomes crucial. Making a place more accessible by allowing people to assess its conditions in advance may, on the other hand, compromise safety measures.

For instance, some directions to public queer spaces can be openly shared, while others—spread through word of mouth—are kept among trusted circles. A first selection of directions to (public) queer places can be found in the images section. Those shared quietly should remain with trusted lips.

More examples coming soon!
Materiality Scale:
5
Original Appearance:
Archival footage (div. magazines, postcards), photographs, digital text messages, word of mouth
Glossarial Appearance:
Repros of magazine pages + digital files, sketch based on information of a text message with directions, descriptive text
Media:
Images
Circus Disco advertisement, LA, 1980, from
Tags:
visibility, way in, map
Emotion Tags:
Joy, Curiosity, Fear
Release Date:
06.01.2025
Latest Editing:
06.01.2025
#0158
Bags of Rose Petals
#0165
Halfway up the Stairs
#0172
Room without a Shade
#0179
Playlist
#0186
Entrances
#0193
Center of Connection
#0200
Portable Platform
#0207
Tinsel Edge
#0214
The Backroom
#0221
The Room of Dirt
#0228
Directions
No results

About

The "Open Glossary for Queer (immaterial) Architectures“ is about particularities of queer spaces found in archival footage, told memories and shared practices. It is about possible archetypes and webbing (im)material phenomena that are part of queer spaces’ appearances. OGfQ(i)A is a growing archive, online and offline, highlighting characteristics of queer spaces.

Each entry is portrayed by a profile revealing its unique story. Knowledge that is base for the glossary entries roots in conversations, field notes and findings from bars, archives and protagonists e.g. in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tbilisi, New York, Berlin, Dresden, and Amsterdam. As well as in aspects from concepts of space designs die Blaue Distanz designed.

This project is part of the head project NCNTP (New Cross-National Temporality Project). It brings together organizations from seven countries (Albania, Georgia, Germany, Montenegro, Portugal, Ukraine, and Spain) and is designed to serve as a platform for the exchange of knowledge and ideas among architects, urbanists, artists, researchers, and related interested individuals and organizations from different parts of the world.

Co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.

Credits

Concept, content creation: die Blaue Distanz
Website Graphic Designer: Simo Tse
Website Programmer: parmon

Compagnon typeface by Juliette Duhé, Léa Pradine, Valentin Papon, Chloé Lozano, Sébastien Riollier. Distributed by velvetyne.fr. https://velvetyne.fr/fonts/compagnon/

Imprint

Please see here.

Data Policy

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News

07/09/2024
Release of the "Open Glossary for Queer (immaterial) Architectures“! Our first ten glossary entries are online. Follow through… In addition, three of them are physically displayed in an offline exhibition in Dresden. For more info, click here.

01/09/2024
Check out our host organisation NCNTP and the amazing artists of the performance project Queer Deities in Migration!

Contact

„Die Blaue Distanz" is a queer artist duo founded 2016 by Adam Erdmann and Franzi Goralski.

Their collaborative work addresses queer life realities, the visibility of what they call underrepresented choices, and the creation of low-hierarchy spaces. Their concept and research based approaches result in visionary “Space Designs”, scripted rituals, printed goods and interaction provoking settings. By highlighting the significance of spaces for marginalized groups, they invite reflection on the power potential of social, physical, and discursive layers of architectures from both historical and contemporary perspectives.

www.blaue-distanz.de
instagram.com/blaue.distanz

We are open for collaborations, exchange, requests, and remarks. Feel free to reach out via mail blauedistanz (at) gmail (dot) com