Q.PPT x LIFE RITES
DEATH BY POWERPOINT
Q.PPT x LIFE RITES DEATH BY POWERPOINT
Queer PowerPoint x Life Rites Residency
Expressions of Interest NOW OPEN!
Two things in life are unavoidable: death, and Microsoft PowerPoint.
Queer PowerPoint is Australia's most unexpected performance platform – we commission queer artists to explore and share ideas, obsessions, or ongoing fascinations using that most staid and ubiquitous of programming tools: PowerPoint. Since 2021, we've brought together communities across the country for nights of surprising stories, secret passions and starwipes, transforming corporate presentations into genre-bending celebrations of queer creativity and community.
We're looking for 4 queer-identifying Sydney-based artists to join us for an extraordinary residency at Life Rites funeral home in Hurstville. This isn't about having a pre-conceived idea - we want you to come with an open mind, explore, discover, and let the space inspire your PowerPoint.
This intriguing site-specific collaboration sees two fiercely independent queer-run Sydney organisations – Life Rites holistic end-of-life care and performance platform Queer PowerPoint – team up to explore life's biggest unknown, one slide at a time.
What You'll Explore:
During your residency, you'll have unique access to one of Sydney's last independent funeral homes. Think creatively and laterally about:
The death industry and end-of-life care
Community, ritual and celebration of life
Gentrification and the loss of independent businesses
Family and/or Queer-run enterprises in changing suburbs
The intersection of queerness and death
Anything else that sparks your curiosity
You won't see dead bodies, but you will have the option to respectfully attend a funeral service if you choose.
About Life Rites:
Life Rites is a team of independent funeral directors, end of life doulas, counsellors and celebrants based in Sydney. Our focused and personalised end-of-life services guide families through end-of-life and after-death care. At our funeral home in Hurstville we have our own, safe on-site mortuary and an intimate ceremonial space.
Key Dates:
EOIs Close: Friday, September 26
Interviews: Week commencing Monday, September 29
Residency Induction: Sunday, October 12 (3 hours)
Residency: Week commencing Monday, October 27
Development: Late November (2 days, self-directed)
Performance: Details TBA - January 16 & 17 2026.
The Residency Process:
Location: Life Rites, 118 Durham Street, Hurstville
15 hours total across 4 x 3-hour blocks:
3 hours with Life Rites team members
3 - 6 hours independent exploration/research within the funeral home
3 hours self-directed research (on or off-site)
Plus 2 days development with the QPPT team to craft your 10-12 minute presentation.
Important Notes:
We're committed to supporting artists through what might be challenging material. This is a safe, trauma-informed and supported exploration of death and dying and the systems and industries that support it, through a queer, creative lens.
We strongly suggest participants shouldn't be in their first 6-12 months of grieving a significant loss
All selected participants will be paid for residency, development and performance
As this is site-specific and thematically sensitive, we'll be conducting interviews to select appropriate participants