Dutch artist creates Lesbian Simulator: ‘Step into the shoes of a lesbian’
The lesbian simulator (Instagram/studiobiarritznl/timescapesfilms/irisvdmeule)
Dutch artist Iris van der Meule has created a ‘Lesbian Simulator’, which allows users to navigate the complexities of friendship, dating and other everyday realities of queer women through the power of virtual reality.
In an interview with Queer & Now, Iris said the 40-minute interactive virtual experience is based on her own life.
“I always say it’s an experience slash a game,” van der Meule said. “You learn through being interactive and doing small mini games that motivate you to experience certain things that some [heterosexual] people might not come across in their own life.”
Van der Meule opened up about growing up in rural Netherlands, where being openly queer was not widely accepted. They detailed experiencing verbal aggression and discrimination in public simply for holding their girlfriend’s hand.
“It almost felt like a daily routine,” she said, “And when I realised that, I was like, ‘That’s really f***** up, actually, because why am I accepting this as something that is happening in my life?’”
“I want to make an art piece that can teach the people around me,” she said. “I can teach them about the things we experience, and hopefully put that mirror to our society and show the blind spots and motivate people to be a bit more active when it comes to fighting for queer rights.”
She hopes heterosexual audiences who use the simulator leave with a stronger sense of responsibility, particularly when they witness discrimination against queer people.
In ‘Lesbian Simulator’, the audience isn’t simply observing a lesbian’s life from the safety of a theatre seat, but they instead are being asked to create a life and move through a world shaped by the possibilities and limitations presented to queer people.
Lesbian Simulator makes its Canadian premiere at TIFF’s Innovation Hub, running from 10 September for 6 days.
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