A secret can occur in different forms. It can be totally unknown or just available for a specific person or group. The Couch of Secrets is part of a living archive of secrets which are normally hidden. We challenge you to think about your relationship to secrets. Are you discrete or do you disclose those of yourself or another once in a while? Do you enjoy the art of gossiping? Do you value transparency or appreciate the veil of mystery?
The Couch of Secrets focusses on the experience of queer people. Living in a heteronormative society means there’s always a phase of secrecy when you are questioning your gender or sexuality. Sometimes these get disclosed for a selective group, or it will become a so-called ‘public secret’. When you are ‘coming out’ it means the secrets transforms to a common knowledge. Sometimes secrets stay stealth. Together with the Drag Up Family we started to collect those queer secrets. Stories about coming out, hole-and-corner crushes, hidden love life and medical practises. They can be funny, loving or even heartbreaking.
During the exhibition Soft Spaces: Beyond the Glitter in Design Museum Den Bosch we revealed a selection of those secrets. Together with members of the Drag Up Family we bleached and airbrushed a selection of the archive on a family-size couch. It became a place in the exhibition to meet eachother and share private story’s. What is changing your perspective when you learn about those secrets?
Would you like to add your secret to the ongoing collection? You can admit them anonomously here!