WELCOME TO INHERENT VICE
Who We Are
Inherent Vice is a non-profit initiative that works to preserve LGBTQIA+ heritage and culture through conservation, collection care, archiving, community, research, education, and publishing.
Aims:
1. Democratise conservation, taking it from institutions and putting it into the hands of communities.
2. Ensure conservation is in dialogue with social justice, activism, and the preservation of queer heritage.
3. Create space for queerness in conservation.
Values
1. Preservation & Care
2. Community & Collaboration
3. Research & Discovery
4. Queering & Experimentation
Our Team
We rely on a passionate and dedicated group of volunteers to keep us running as we establish ourselves and grow. If you feel you could add to our team through volunteering or support please get in touch hello@inherentvice.co.uk
Jeordy Farnell
Writer/Editor
Jeordy Farnell (she/her) is a collections care professional and a material culture historian. She works as Project Curator: Renaissance Britain and Europe at the British Museum. Jeordy previously edited for a number of publications including Fashion Theory, and The Dress History Journal.
Emmeline Burdett
Writer/Editor
Emmeline Burdett (she/her) has been a member of the Queer History Club at Royal Museums Greenwich since 2025. Her academic background is disability history. Emmeline is interested in the intersection between disability and queer history.
Nicole Locke
Writer/Editor
Nicole Locke (she/her) has an academic background in Creative Writing and Film, Media and Television studies, and is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of East Anglia (UEA). Alongside her academic work, she has professional experience as an administrator at the British Museum and has spent the past three years exploring New Zealand. She has a great interest in culture, media and the arts.
Lean Lupgens
Zine Coordinator/Writer/Editor
LJ Lupgens (they/them) is a paintings conservator based in the Netherlands. Their interests focus on the preservation of marginalised art and heritage, with particular emphasis on women’s and queer cultural material. Lean documents aspects of their paintings conservation practice on TikTok at @jorestorespaintings and can be contacted at jorestorespaintings@gmail.com
Lewis O'Hare
Writer/Editor
Lewis O'Hare (he/him)mis a PhD researcher at Newcastle University working on an AHRC-funded archival project with The Crack magazine. The project explores regional subjectivity and the developing economic identity of the North East post-1980. It addresses class, masculinity and queerness under neoliberalism. Lewis has worked professionally in academic libraries, and teaches Media Studies and English Literature at Newcastle. His archival work can be found on instagram @archivingthecrack
Helen Beckett
Zine Coordinator/Writer/Editor
Helen Beckett (she/her) is the Collections & Exhibitions Manager at Touchstones. She’s one of the many people helping shape the future of Rochdale’s cultural spaces.
Joles Wong
Design Lead
Joles Wong (they/them) is a freelance graphic designer and curator from Hong Kong developing a socially engaged practice spanning publication, branding and print design. They graduated from BA Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins in 2025 Alongside their design practice, they work as a freelance photographer and Assistant Curator in the Museum of Transology, the UK’s largest collection of trans and queer material culture.
May Brooker
Writer/Editor
May Brooker (she/her) holds an MA in History, where she specialised in Modern British and Queer History. May has previously worked at the Bishopsgate Institute - home to one of the UK's largest LGBTQIA+ archive collections. She has a particular interest in uncovering overlooked stories and exploring queer heritage.
Billie Duch Giménez
Writer/Editor
Billie Duch Giménez (they/them) is a museum curator with an interest in maritime history, colonial collecting, and art. A member of Queer History Club at the National Maritime Museum, they use historical research as a starting point for creative expression. They are also a sailor, a writer, and fond of folk traditions.
Emilia Zeslawska
Writer/Editor
Emilia Zeslawska (she/her) is equally inspired by cultural heritage and the natural world. She developed her interest in material culture through work with UK museums and collections. In her free time, she takes part in bird research and conservation projects. She holds a BA in Chinese Studies and an MA in Linguistics.
Shoun Obana
Director
Shoun Obana (he/they) is a museum object conservator with a particular interest in LGBTQIA+ heritage preservation