Behind the dancefloor: K Walker explores the highs and lows of queer nightlife at Leeds Light Night 2026 – Interview

‘I want ur hands on me (unrequited)’, K Walker, Yorkshire Contemporary, Light Night Leeds 2026. Photography by Ronnie Danaher.

Among the 40 artworks, large-scale projections, interactive installations, music, dance and performances that transformed Leeds into a playground of light, creativity and artistic expression in this year’s Light Night was Leeds-based multidisciplinary artist K Walker. Their installation ‘I want ur hands on me (unrequited)’ at The Attic offered something a little different from the usual spectacle of the night. The State of the Arts sat down with K to discuss their practice and the ideas behind the installation.

At its heart the piece explores queer nightlife and the complicated emotions that can accompany a night on the dancefloor. While clubs and parties are often associated with freedom, escapism and connection, K is interested in the less visible feelings that can exist alongside them. “Nightclubs and parties can offer a level of escapism but also feel existential for the individuals dancing,” they say. 

Expanding on that tension K explains, “even though these queer clubs and queer spaces are really joyous, free places for queer people to express themselves and have fun, it’s also these places that can sometimes bring negative emotions or can make you feel that you don’t belong. A lot of that’s based on image and queer identity.”

It is this contradiction that makes ‘I want ur hands on me (unrequited)’ particularly interesting. The installation explores the excitement of being surrounded by people, music and movement, while acknowledging that loneliness can sometimes follow you into even the busiest of rooms.

Bringing together performance, sculpture, sound and moving image, the work draws on a variety of influences, creating a sensory experience that reflects the complexity of queer club culture.

The installation grew from a single image. Yorkshire Contemporary approached K in February about creating a commissioned work for Light Night, and they already knew they wanted to make something about queer nightlife. “I had this image of a vest in my mind that I wanted to make a work on,” they recall. “It just naturally stemmed from there and became this big installation.”

The vests are made using a combination of plastic and silicone mannequins, then cast and painted with resin so they stay stiff and hold their shape. “I basically wanted the vest to look as muscular as possible,” K says. Using a real body wasn’t an option: “That would be toxic for a person.” It was also K’s first time working with resin, and one they’re not necessarily keen to repeat. “I’ve not really enjoyed using resin,” they admit, “but it’s a new material for me and it’s done the job.”

‘I want ur hands on me (unrequited)’, K Walker, Yorkshire Contemporary, Light Night Leeds 2026. Photography by Ronnie Danaher.

K explains that the work is rooted in their own nights out, which, “a lot of the time are in Leeds because I live here so I go to various club nights, such as Love Muscle at Wharf Chambers.” It isn’t based exclusively on those events, they add, but “inspired loosely by them.” However, this isn’t simply one individual’s interpretation of nightlife. For K, it was important the project connected with the local queer community. As a result, they organised a workshop with members of Leeds’ queer community, gathering their memories, experiences and feelings about the city’s club scene. 

These collective voices helped make “this really amazing sound piece for the installation” in collaboration with KESSIE, a resident DJ at Love Muscle. 

The approach gives the installation a sense of shared ownership, making room for a collection of experiences which acknowledge differing relationships with these spaces.

The workshop also offered K a glimpse of how much the scene has changed. Asked whether things have improved for queer people in Yorkshire, K thinks “it’s definitely better.” Some of the participants had been “partying in the ’80s and the ’90s”, and their experiences showed a different perspective on the queer scene in Yorkshire. “It seems like it’s progressed quite a lot in terms of things like access and people feeling more comfortable and more safe to present in certain ways,” K says. “And there’s a lot more queer spaces rather than just gay spaces.”

The project also brought together a number of other creative collaborators. Working alongside videographer Ronnie Danaher, K developed a new moving-image piece filmed in and around West Yorkshire. The film plays continuously in the space and, K explains, has “a very loose sort of narrative” that “connects to the themes of the work”. The commission also marked their first time working with professional performers, with support from Yorkshire Dance.

‘I want ur hands on me (unrequited)’, K Walker, Yorkshire Contemporary, Light Night Leeds 2026. Photography by Ronnie Danaher.

K’s wider artistic practice is equally varied. Working under the alias ‘In Close Proximity’, they move between photography, costume, drawing, zines, poetry, sculpture and performance. Their work frequently explores themes of gender, queerness, bodies, otherness and sensuality.

With influences ranging from bodybuilding and The Wizard of Oz to techno music, it is clear that K isn’t afraid to experiment or bring seemingly contrasting ideas together.

What makes this commission particularly fitting for Light Night is its connection to the city itself. For a festival that has attracted more than 1.1 million visitors since it began in 2005, showcasing work that reflects the people and culture of Leeds feels especially important. Leeds has a thriving independent arts scene, with grassroots artists and creative collectives continually finding new ways to tell stories about the communities around them.

This is K’s first Light Night project, and they see their local and queer perspective as central to the work. “I’m approaching it as a local Leeds-based artist,” they say, “and it’s from a queer lens.” Equally it’s a project that widens who the festival speaks to. “It’s a little bit more centered on adults,” K says. “Light Night is great in that it caters a lot to families and young people, but I think it’s good to have things that cater more towards an older audience that’s not necessarily just the families.”

As for what comes next, K is open-ended. “I do get bored quite easily with what I make, and I’m always quite ready to move on to the next thing,” they say, though clubbing remains a live subject. “I’m still engaging with that as a person. So I’m definitely still interested in that as a theme and a concept.” 

While the large-scale projections and illuminated landmarks may draw the crowds, installations like K’s remind us that sometimes the most interesting work looks closer at the experiences and emotions that make up everyday life, inviting audiences to think beyond the dancefloor and consider what it means to find connection, belonging and sometimes loneliness within a community.

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‘I want ur hands on me (unrequited)’ was a Yorkshire Contemporary commission presented by K Walker at The Attic as part of Leeds Light Night 2026.

For more from Yorkshire Contemporary, visit their website and follow them on Instagram. You can also find more of K Walker’s work on their website and Instagram.