Leo Maher (Design Academy Eindhoven, 2021) is a British designer currently living in the Netherlands. His work gathers research from material cultures, past and present, and the stories to which they are linked. His graduation project Unfamiliar Passions explores the history of homosexuality and the means, legends, euphemisms, signals and behaviour that are associated with it, whereby he seeks to expose a limitless history of queer legends. In Articulated Matter (2022) he uses ornaments on sleek, contemporary cubes that represent a library of heritage and fusion. Maher believes that equipping ourselves with a means or a method is inherent to designing an object; every design starts from a symbolic framework.

Leo Maher distinguishes himself by combining his research with material development and target groups. His queer research from ancient Greece to present day has produced exceptional images. It is with good reason that he graduated cum laude; his final results explore the idea that queer culture and homosexuality transcend cultures and societies, and reflects upon why this is so. A tribute to history, to all queer people who have gone before him. His work is characterised by a fun playfulness that sparks curiosity about the many-layered meanings that Maher puts into his work. Rich and detailed objects are the tangible result.