The Seductive Set: The Power of Set Design in Shaping Sexual Representation on Screen Part 2 Dissertation 2023 Ellen McKeag Queen's University Belfast | UK During the Hays Code era (1934-1968), Hollywood filmmakers navigated strict censorship, particularly around explicit sexual content. Yet, directors like Billy Wilder ingeniously channelled sexual themes not solely through narrative but through the strategic language of set design, apartment architecture, and carefully chosen objects.Using a close reading spatial methodology which involves design and the production of new, original drawings as forms of analyses, this study takes a closer look at two of Wilder’s cinematic masterpieces: The Seven Year Itch (1955) and The Apartment (1960). Acknowledging the influence of Playboy magazine’s celebration of the ‘bachelor pad’ on filmic apartment portrayals, it uncovers how, through the design of sets, the pervasive apartment typology was metamorphosed into a compelling symbol of desire and a vessel for male fantasies. In dissecting the intricacies of object fetishisation, pioneering framing, and the architectural embodiment of sexual metaphor in Wilder’s work, the research reflects on how the cinematic medium both reflected and moulded implicit yet powerful societal norms of the time.This analysis - of how film, architecture, space gender, and sexuality converged within the censorship of the Hays Code - speaks to their ongoing relevance within media and forms of representation today. Ellen McKeag Tutor(s) Gary Boyd