MAGIC + SEX = RELIGION - or does it ?

MAGIC + SEX = RELIGION – or does it ?

Some time ago, during a short period when I was part of a national discussion group on censorship in the arts, I received a letter from a man called Paul Gregor.  In his letter M. Gregor - a Yugoslav national with a French mother - briefly  introduced himself before inviting me to meet him to discuss what he called “ important information on the subject of our investigations “.   A couple of weeks later we did meet up – at a rather surprising location as it happens – to enjoy a lavish lunch as the guests of a well known Peer of the Realm in the House of Lords dining room.    After the meal the three of us retired to another part of The House and went on to discuss all manner of unusual subjects including some of Paul’s rather odd theories , after which he presented me with a personally inscribed copy of his  latest book entitled MAGIC + SEX = RELIGION.

                                                                     The Book - my gift

I still have the book, a somewhat complex story  which I did eventually manage to get through albeit with some difficulty, but try as I may was unable to make head nor tail of most of it.    I did get another letter from M.  Gregor, but we never did meet again, nor did I hear any more from the Right Hon Lord (now deceased).

                                                                   Author Review

Up until that time I had never had more than a passing interest in religion and I still feel that way about it now.  My only sexual connection with religion was falling in love with my Sunday School teacher, but as she was sixteen at the time and I was only four nothing ever came of it. However, my encounter with Paul Gregor did stimulate my curiosity into this wide ranging and deeply controversial subject and led me into a period of intense study and research which rather overcame me for a short time.   

My collection of books - on all kinds of religion - grew to more than 100 volumes which filled several shelves of my already overloaded bookshelves, with files of newspaper and magazine cuttings adding to the general clutter.  I got fed up with it all in the end and finished off by condensing the whole lot into a short 3500 word essay which ended up in one of my journals, before beginning the  gradual disposal of this section of my library. 

                                                          from my Library - Maria Monk.

At the beginning of my research it quickly became obvious that there a was a great deal of sexual activity  involved in most primitive forms of religion, with nudity and sacrifice often playing a major part in some kind of God worship. The ancient cultures, although a bit more civilised carried on in much the same way and this clear sexual connection didn’t stop with modern religions either, where Judao/ Christian beliefs for example veered at various times from total abstinence to full on orgiastic ritual ceremonies.    There was plenty of nudity and sex associated with the Adamites, an obscure Christian sect dating back to the 2^nd century b.c. who it is said stripped naked during prayer and worship.    They were followed by Neo-Adamites in the middle ages along with plenty of other niche believers in between and following, including Beghards , Taborites, Picards and in more modern times another sub group called Moravians.   All a bit boring really and with no apparent connection to the theories of M. Gregor.

                                                           More about Maria

However , this present short piece of work is not really concerned with the history of religion in general.   Neither is it an attempt to define whether it is or isn’t  a mixture of sex and magic as Paul Gregor suggests in his book,  but relates directly to my work over many years as a photo-journalist, especially in the area of Art & Erotica.

I have often covered exhibitions containing examples of Christian iconography, which has been  full of nudity and partial nudity of all kinds – men, women and children –appearing in various representations of holiness,  much of which is quite explicit in detail.  Produced by some of the greatest artists of the time as sketches , drawings and in other media primarily for wealthy sponsors ostensibly for religious purposes, it is also just as likely to have been acquired by some as another form of sexual/fetish  stimulant.

But although pictures for specifically religious purposes are no longer produced in any kind of quantity, the abiding lure of religious sex still remains an enduring attraction to a small number of people - of both sexes. 

The great majority of this attraction is mainly confined to stories of what purported to go on in the Monasteries , Abbeys and other consecrated buildings in medieval times and probably had its origins in the time of King Henry VIII,  who used rather exaggerated accusations of widespread illicit sex by monks and nuns to support his eventual plans of dissolution and legalized theft. 

 No doubt some of this was true and some just febrile imagination , but the writing and imagery that emerged from that time ultimately found its way from the middle ages through into the Victorian age and continues right up until modern times.   Young virgin nuns of that time ( or even older ones ) could easily mistake an outburst of carnal desire as a divinely inspired explosion of spiritual ecstasy and so they naturally play a prominent and important role in the public's imagination. This odd genre of art and erotica  known colloquially as “nunsploitation “, has over the years produced many hundreds of examples of pictures , paintings and drawings, artworks , books, films (and now DVD’s) which often includes an element of whipping, spanking or  sado-machochistic punishment of some kind . 

 

                                                                A Perfect Example

A French engraving  which perfectly encapsulates an example from the late 19^th century , features a priapic monk frantically whipping a naked nun and bears the caption  “ I will now expel the last traces of your impurity with this sacred relic. It is a part of the venerable rope that once girded the waist of the holy St Francis himself” – said the Abbot as he thrusts his prick into the nun after vigorously whipping her naked arse.   Quite stimulating I can imagine - to a certain kind of taste !!!

                                                           19th c "nunsploitation"

A top 100 list of the most popular of these “nunsploitation “, films/books etc; exists somewhere amongst the archives of erotica, perhaps the most notorious of which  is entitled “Sacred Flesh”.  A film made quite recently -in 1999 -and now available as a DVD , these confessions and fantasies of the nuns and other religious inhabitants of an imaginary convent deals with just about every kind of sexual deviation imaginable.

                                                             A 1970's example

The cult even extends to foreign parts where Christianity has only a very minority following.  In Japan for instance where a  film entitled ‘The School of the Holy Beast’  has been produced which includes explicit scenes featuring naked nuns forced to whip each other, a lesbian mother superior and lecherous sadistic archbishops.

                                                              Modern Fetish Clubwear

This somewhat odd form of sexual stimulant which began six hundred years ago seems to be almost as popular now as it was in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, not just in art and literature  but as a leisure and pleasure activity in select private clubs that specialise in fantasy sex where (acting) sexy nuns , bishops and even the odd archbishop frequently put in an appearance.  

You may even hear more about this in some future blog – if you keep your eyes open for it.  

p.s.   ‘ The Awful Disclosures of MARIA MONK ‘ also appears in the 100 list. I still have a copy of this book left over from my original collection which we are now disposing of. Look for the details available soon on our latest PAGE.   m.g.

 

The Surreal House at the Barbican – part 2.

The Surreal House at the Barbican – part 2.

 Erotic – an evening event

                                                                 The Crew

 As interesting as it was , the main reason we were here was not to see The Surreal House  which we had already attended on one of the opening days ,  but to join in one of the special events.  The evening show billed quite simply as  ‘ EROTIC ‘  was co-hosted and organised by two leading members of the London avant -garde performance scene.      Johnny Blue Eyes , artist , fashion designer celebre (the model Kate Moss is said to be a fan  ) and creator of the ‘ House of Blue Eyes’  is a big man in many ways and has often performed nude throughout his twenty year career.

                                                                         Bel, Johnny & Lara
 Johnny was partnered  by Lara Clifton , one of the originators of The Whoopee Club who has been successfully running decadent parties with a flavour of burlesque, for the last eight years.

                                                                      In the jungle
Held in the Conservatory situated on the third floor high above the City streets, this truly amazing space , sometimes called  ‘ a tropical garden in the sky ’  was a perfect setting for this trip into the modern vision of living surrealism.  The foyer entrance with a conventional bar area ,  a fairly normal  performance stage and one or two static displays,  leads directly into the secret garden where lurking in the bushes were creatures of the night.  

                                                                          Wild Animals
Naked or semi naked people with animal heads ,half human , half flesh emerged from the bushes as if they actually lived there while the rest of the cast ,  when not performing  joined  the visitors to parade and promenade around the walkways, terraces and water features  of the tropical gardens. 

                                                            Some Interesting Visitors
This was essentially an interactive event with visitors encouraged to join in producing what Laura and Johnny engagingly described as ‘real live art ‘.   “Bring along your cameras and videos , take pictures and involve yourselves as much or as little as you like” they said  - and most people did just that.     Students from St Martins College helped with some of the design installations, within which small groups of actor/musicians played out a series of amusing (and sometimes quite rude) plays on improvised stages.   

                                                                   The Big BAD Wolf
 The Beau Belles kept appearing out of no-where – and vanishing just as quickly - while in the background a trio of musicians played wonderful haunting jazz, creating exactly the right kind of ambience for this unusual evening of entertainment - just a few of the extraordinary performers who combined their individual talents to make this only too short evening into an immediate hit. 

                                                                        The Beau Belles
Dancers, actors, musicians, burlesque performers, exhibitionists of all sorts including of course almost all the paying guests were in a strange and fantastical beautiful way an essential part of this amazing erotic party. 

                                                                              Scaramouche

Keep an eye out for Johnny and Laura- they are bound to be around somewhere , sometime.  

c. The Erotica Spy   Jan 2011

 

More from the Erotica Spy - The Surreal & the Erotic – a fusion of the senses

 The surreal & the erotic – a fusion of the senses

My work in exploring, photographing  and writing about the genre of nudity in art and ancient cultures has taken me half way around the globe and back again.  It has been an illuminating voyage of discovery to museums , galleries and exhibitions located in the most impressive as well as the strangest of places, but of all that London is still my favourite place. 

Museums

                                                    Exquisite sculpture at the V & A (1)

Not that many years ago museums used to be stuffy old places that were filled with a whole load of inanimate objects and everyone in them -  visitors and staff alike - spoke in hushed tones , that is if they spoke at all.   All the world’s most beautiful and rare items were on display here in these magnificent and stately buildings – well not quite all were displayed - as anything remotely to do with explicit sex was not on public view but was hidden away in the basement rooms and ordinary members of the public didn’t even know that they existed.

                                                    Exquisite sculpture at the V & A (2)

The V & A in London was the first to initiate change, only in a small way to start with in a newly opened restaurant tucked away in the corner of a gallery and a resident musician playing classical music to a slightly bemused audience.       We have come a long way since then thank goodness and now even the most formal of our national museums have a whole host of entertaining and/or educating presentations to add to the usual range of ancient historical and artistic objects on show.  In some places even a few of the more explicitly sexual bits and pieces have been taken out of the closet and put on display and as well as museums almost every major city nowadays  also has it’s own purpose built  Arts Centre,  offering a whole range of artistic and performance facilities.

                                                  Exquisite sculpture at the V & A (3)

 Centres for Art

Provided by The City of London Corporation as part of its contribution to the cultural life of London and the nation, The Barbican Centre , which opened in 1982 is the largest multi-arts and conference venue in Europe,  presenting a year-round programme of art, music, film and theatre.   Under one roof are a concert hall, two theatres, three cinemas, two art galleries, a conservatory and public library, as well as three restaurants, private function rooms, conference suites and  two exhibition halls.  Altogether this superb venue presents an unparalleled variety of performing and visual arts of world class calibre: classical and contemporary concerts, theatre, opera, dance, folk weekends, jazz and world music series, first release films and cinema seasons, painting, photography, sculpture, and applied arts and crafts. The main exhibition gallery is of particular interest,  from where the exceptionally well qualified and multi talented team of curators have over the years hosted some ground breaking exhibitions.  But these unique exhibitions are not just about pictures , drawings and sculptures.

An intimate relationship

Re- designed  by the architects Stanton Williams to exploit the height and space of this impressive gallery space, it also conveys it’s meaning  via all the senses.    Moving images flicker from above on to the walls at different levels ,  sounds from hidden speakers increase  the feeling of seduction,  while  soft lighting and sometimes total darkness all add to the overall enjoyment.  

The Surreal House at the Barbican – part 1.

 

THE SURREAL HOUSE which ran throughout the summer months of 2010 was one such event , an  incredible showcase which also included a whole programme of special events designed to  complement the exhibition itself .    Late night openings and after hours events throughout the duration  of the show included live music , sexy cocktails, erotic readings and lively debates, all rounded off with a rather naughty show which included burlesque and nudity.  The show itself used an imaginary house to create an amazing fusion of art,  film and photography to explore the  relationship between surrealism and architecture,  bringing together more than 170 works from around the world – a priceless collection which included the iconic art of Salvador Dali , Louise Bourgeois , Frances Bacon, Rene Magritte , Edward Hopper and many other well known masters of this genre.

Installation art is a medium that is perhaps ideally suited to the surreal movement.  I have seen some strange examples of this style on my travels over the years , some large, some small - from one end of the scale thousands of completely naked people laying on the ground with their bums in the air on the University campus in Mexico City waiting to have a picture taken by the American photographer Spencer Tunnick,  to the other  -  tiny scraps of material displayed on a board about ten inches square using the artist’s snot to stick them together .   But there was one piece of installation art in the Surreal Exhibition which was without doubt the best I have ever seen anywhere.

 

 Metal Fucking Rats

Interestingly entitled Metal Fucking Rats, at first sight this exhibit seemed to be just an inert pile of old scrap metal lying on the gallery floor,  but when at regular intervals some kind of timing device kicked in,  with a whirl and a grind the whole thing sprang to life.   As the assorted  cogs , rods and other strangely shaped parts slowly gathered speed a small projector on the floor behind it beamed a brilliant light through the now moving assembly of old ironwork to fall on the white painted gallery wall in front of it.

The flickering light , just like an old fashioned black and white silent movie produced an incredibly realistic image of a pair of very human looking rats- one large male the other a slightly smaller female  - having sex while they both looked back directly at their viewing audience.

This sensational piece of exhibitionist/voyeurism was created by the London based artistic duo Noble plus Webster - why not check them out to see if it’s showing anywhere else.   

 NEXT WEEK:         The Surreal House at the Barbican – part 2.

 

THE WATCHERS and the WATCHED.

It will soon become obvious to the reader -if it’s not already so- that the exhibitionist and/or the voyeur are a major feature in much of our work. 

                                                                       Indian Erotic Art                 

 The Exhibitionist:     Exhibitionism in its simplest descriptive form is the practise of deriving sexual pleasure or stimulation from exposing oneself in public.  Although the word is often thought  to mean deliberate exposure of the sexual parts, this need not necessarily be so.   The individual(s) involved need not necessarily be exposing their sexual parts ( legally defined as indecent exposure ), be  naked  or even partly naked, or they may  even be covered in some form of skimpy or revealing clothing.  The exhibitionist can even be fully dressed,  but behaving in a sexually provocative manner – in other words an extreme form of “showing off”.   

The Voyeur:    Desmond Morris , the respected naturalist writer and researcher has described voyeurism as “a healthy non-participatory sexual activity”.    A pretty good description, but somewhat  incomplete.    Although the Voyeur may well be attracted to the Exhibitionist if the opportunity arises , they are not necessarily connected.  Indeed , it’s not just the idea of seeing what is normally kept hidden that excites the voyeur the most , but that of seeing it unknown to the actual participants.  Because they are sometimes discovered spying or otherwise peering into bathroom or bedroom windows to satisfy their desires , voyeurs  are often considered to be dangerous , but they do not usually present any form of threat .  

Mixoscopia;   is the term used when the voyeur enjoys watching his wife or loved one engaging in sexual relations with another male .  Presumably, the same term could also apply to a woman and her husband/lover. 

Erotica:      Some years ago, after a feature I had written on an international exhibition of art had been published in a specialist magazine, I was commissioned to write a short piece on (my own) definition of erotica.   Here it is, short but pretty concise and to the point. 

                                                                                    Classical Art

“ What exactly is Erotica?  

What actually defines erotica and how if at all does it differ from obscenity and pornography -  words that are  used to describe the kind of sexual material that supposedly serves only to deprave and corrupt ?   This is an argument that has raged on between artists, scholars and those ruling our public and private lives for hundreds if not for thousands of years without ever being properly resolved - and perhaps it never will be. Maybe it's an impossible task or at least one which can only be defined on a very personal basis.

History tells us that the ancient Greek GOD of LOVE was called EROS. Not too surprising then that in the Greek language eros was the word for love. The word erotic, meaning sensual, stimulating, arousing, of or causing sexual love is derived from exactly the same Greek base. So of course is the word erotica , having the same meaning in ancient times as it has now - a collective noun for material of any kind - written , aural or visual having the ability to or the specific purpose of arousing sexual desire. 

It's fairly easy to see that very many of those people involved in producing much of the material classed as erotica - especially in modern times - are less concerned with the artistic content than with the financial rewards. As sexually explicit as it may well be, the majority of this kind of work tends not to have any great depth of feeling or quality other than that of immediate but brief sexual arousal.

                                                                        French Rats

In other cases however, it is equally clear that the artist, the model, the writer or the actor(s) have themselves been aroused and/or stimulated by it. This could have happened at some time within the planning of the project and almost certainly once again during the actual production of what usually turns out to be an erotic masterpiece.

It is this personal celebration of sexual desire, love and sensuality that shines through into the finished work , and in doing so practically guaranteeing that it becomes equally stimulating and desirable to others.”

c . M.G.  2002

All living creatures need to reproduce in some way or another in order to ensure their continuity and survival.  The process by which animals reproduce is called mating.  Some of the most common words used to describe when human animals like us do it are – sexual intercourse , reproduction, copulation , procreation, or lovemaking.   However whatever name we use as,  human beings  there is one element without which successful reproduction would be very difficult or even impossible for us .   That key word is stimulation – the arousal of sexual desire – and in that respect  Erotica in one form or another is for human beings an essential part of life itself.  It is true to say that Sex is central to our humanity and in most cases is a beautiful and satisfying experience, but as we will see , even animals require some form of stimulation in order to reproduce.  

Art in Erotica:

The naked form and it’s erotic connections have been prolific in every kind of art almost from the beginning of humanity.   In fact , sexually inspired images are amongst the earliest evidence of  human culture and lie at the very root of all human life.

An important element in erotic art is the accoutrements with which the otherwise naked body is adorned.  Almost any object, but primarily some kind of clothing, gloves , foot-ware or  jewellery , even paint or some other  more permanent  kind of decoration can become the object of what is often termed fetish fascination.  It is a topic  which we often use in our writing and Belinda is something of an expert on the subject.  

Stimulation:

All living creatures have the same biological drives that they need to gratify in order to exist . To eat and drink are the obvious ones required merely to exist – but to survive into the future one must add SEX.   The natural biological stimulation for food and drink is one of hunger and thirst , but for sex both  human and animal life require extra stimulation of some kind or another. 

The most important form of stimulation for us all - animal or human - is that of smell.  All living species exude some form of scented secretion designed to attract or repel others. Called phemerones, these smells act as warning signals , territory markers or mating calls.

Most humans  remain completely unaware of our own or others natural smells or how they affect our sexual behaviour, and are completely unconscious of  the scent , let alone the fact that it has attracted us to a potential sexual partner.

The other essential  form of stimulation is by some form of visual exhibition. Its a natural process in animals or birds  where the sexual parts swell up and and/or other body parts take on bright and distinct colour and shape which are used  in some kind of ritual movements or dance.  Without this stimulation which normally only takes place once a year , most animals are unable to procreate at all.  There are a few species of animal -  the  bonobo monkey for instance is an animal exception - who have the ability to continually stimulate each other so that they are able to have sex  at the drop of a hat. 

 The behaviour of primitive man was very much the same as that of the animal kingdom.  Sex  was bonded to various  rituals and seasonal celebrations , harvests , changes in the moon , etc;  At the end of the ritual , which usually included frenzied dancing , the whole thing might develop into some kind of sexual orgy ensuring a suitable degree of procreative success. 

Some animal groups also use the orgy as a stimulant and the pink flamingo is a prime example of this behaviour.  At the start of the mating season these strange looking birds congregate in huge numbers all together in shallow water to feed - and ultimately to mate.   It takes just one couple to begin the process and like some kind of magical call of nature the rest all join in.  It’s the classic case of exhibitionism plus voyeurism equals sexual union. 

The word orgy takes its name from a Greek word meaning ‘secret rite’ and is religious in origin.   In the ancient world there were many different cults of this kind, most of them especially associated with  Dionysus the Greek God of wine (also known as Bacchus by the Romans ), whose worship included drinking , dancing and group sex.

Modern humans have over the centuries of time completely forgotten that their natural biological drives exist , but in the meantime have used their knowledge and inventiveness to continuously create new ideas and devices as sexual stimulants.  These are subjects which we have often explored in the past – and will continue to do so heafter.

UTOPIA – a place where people live in peace and harmony.

UTOPIA – a place where people lived in peace and harmony.

Many years have passed since I first discovered the secret of living a naturist lifestyle and from that very moment it has been a never ending voyage.  One which has taken me all over Europe and even further afield, into and inside some amazing places - from simple comfort to unbelievable luxury - within privately owned or members only clubs and similar organisations, to huge holiday and leisure resorts.  

In the old days these were all very private places not easy to find and often protected by unspoiled natural woodlands,  with lots of resident wildlife (and a few domestic ones too) where peaceful relaxation in safe surroundings was absolutely guaranteed. 

Things began to change in the mid 1990’s when naturism became much more commercially orientated; attracting people that soon introduced their own agenda into the traditional way of life. But in spite of the constant calls for profit and financial gain, the great majority of the old style of naturism still exist where the general principles of peace and privacy still remain.

Upon reflection, in many ways these wonderfully calming places always reminded me very much of somewhere that I had read about years ago called UTOPIA. 

In my final years of schooling I read philosophy and remembered that it was  Plato who 2500 years ago first mooted the idea of a permanently happy land, isolated from the outside world where people lived in peace and harmony.    In the sixteenth century, Thomas More took up the theme again in his book called Utopia (a Greek word meaning a good place) in which he proposed a society with very similar ideals.  In 1933 the author James Hilton in his book Lost Horizon wrote his own version - of a mystical earthly paradise called Shangri La - a hidden place of refuge and peace isolated from the outside world and in complete harmony with nature.

I was reminded of this idyllic theme quite recently when in the course of my studies into a piece of work which I called ‘ What is  ART’  I  came across the work of the Belgian artist Leon Henri Frederic.  

Frederic, who was born in 1856 studied at the Brussels Académie des Beaux-Arts and his work, often featuring simple pastoral life became popular all    over Europe. Whilst on holiday in the Ardennes in 1883 Frederick discovered the isolated village of Nafraiture, an idyllic place which eventually became his regular holiday retreat. “Away from the ‘corruption and frenetic nervous energy of the industrial revolution”  as he later described it, this unspoiled picturesque village became the inspiration for his spiritual, primitive style of painting.

In 1901 Frederic painted his personal interpretation of Nafraiture as Utopia, in a most beautiful triptych entitled The Golden Age.  It was the left hand panel  called “ The Morning “  which impressed me most, as just about the nearest thing to the ideal of naturism that I had ever seen. 

                                                                       The Golden Age 1

In this wonderfully natural picture, fresh faced maidens in various states of undress went about their business as if in the general way of things nudity was of no importance, while in the foreground a contented mother held her tiny baby to her breast.  Cows grazed in a nearby meadow, birds sang in trees burdened with blossom, while children played without a care in the world.  Even the man on the horse has not bothered with trousers. 

                                                         Only when clothing was necessary

It struck me then and it still does today, that the imaginary concepts of this place called Utopia follows very similar ideals to those of naturism, even to the degree of not bothering with clothing unless it’s absolutely necessary.  

                                                       Naturism - A modern day Utopia

The idea of Utopia is nice in theory, but it’s doubtful if such a place could really exist in the modern world any more than it could in the old.  But naturism - just about nearest thing to it –can and does exist and unlike the residents of an imaginary Utopia, as followers of this unique lifestyle we can step in and out of it at will. 

m.g.

 

 

The Erotica Spy strikes again.

In my role as a photo-journalist and using the byline “The Erotica Spy “ I  have over the passing years written many features on unusual exhibitions, displays or demonstrations  from all over Europe , that contain some element of artistic nudity or eroticism.   Many of them have been published in some magazine or another, while others still remain in my archives.  The Erotic Awards Finalists Exhibition is one that I wrote in 2006, together with some of the pictures I took at the time. 

It may be interesting to note that Belinda was one of the nominations for Erotic Writer of the Year- 2011 , but was unfortunately unable to accept due to family obligations.   

          The Erotic Awards Finalists Exhibition – London 2006.

Many followers of naturism will already be aware of the connection that exists between censorship , government regulation and the naturist lifestyle. Over the last decade or so an ever growing range of minority groups have been formed, their primary objectives to help maintain an equal balance between the freedom of the individual to enjoy their generally peaceful and harmless activities and the ever increasing powers of the State. Many naturists support such activities and this support is frequently reciprocated by the majority of these mostly charitable organisations. 

      

The Erotic Awards, an annual event now in it’s thirteenth year is a typical example of this kind of friendly co-operation.and its main purpose is to raise funds for and general awareness of the charity called Outsiders. This year marks the 27^th anniversary of this unusual and unconventional organisation run by Dr Tuppy Owens, where disabled people can network , form friendships and relationships of all kinds – and yes- even sexual ones, if that’s what they are looking for. 

 

The 2006 event was sponsored by The Leydig Trust together with The Trolley Gallery in East London, where an exhibition of the work of the finalists, spread over 18 different categories has been on show since 29^thAugust. Other national organisations such as Backlash , various sex workers cooperatives and human rights movements were also involved in this popular event.

 

 

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend the awards final stage show at the “Night of the Senses” , a fabulous ball held in London on September 2^nd,  where the actual presentation of the awards were made, but luckily I did get the chance to view the exhibition and take some photographs of my own a few days earlier. 

 

The work of all fifty six finalists was on show at the gallery and it was gratifying to see that of the four Special Awards already chosen for this year , two went to artists that either Belinda or I had written about . These were a Lifetime Achievements Award to Nobuyoshi Araki and the Outsiders Award, which went to the incredible and courageous Alison Lapper.

 

The French photographer Irina Ionesco, who celebrated her seventieth birthday this year also received a very well deserved lifetime achievement award and a number of her fabulously erotic pictures were prominently displayed on the gallery walls. Sunset Strip, the old established and much loved Soho strip bar, for many years a staunch supporter of groups such as Outsiders and Deafblind UK, got the popular vote as the third winner of a Lifetime Award.

 

As well as original artists and photographers the main categories also included erotic writers , illustrators , specialist clubs and campaigners , performance artists and sex workers, websites and publications. All the work shown was of a very high quality but sadly there is only room to include descriptions of a few of the entries in this small feature.

 

 

The provocative picture of Lily Dumont , the glamorous performance artist ( and an entrant under that heading ) who we had the pleasure of seeing in a live performance erotic cabaret recently, that was taken by photographer Sarah Ainslie and put to good use on the main Awards Private Invitation, was a perfect representation of the show.

 

 

The inimitable and talented Sylvie Jones , who with just a few strokes of the brush can create the most amazingly erotic portrait,was of course a natural selection for Illustration & Design.I didn’t get to read any of the content of Agent Provocateur’s“Secrets and Confessions” in the Publications section ( it was on the top shelf and I couldn’t reach it – honest ), but the cover looked almost as luxuriously provocative as their underwear does, so I expect it was pretty hot stuff.The Ceramic Corsets entry came under the Fashion section,but I thought that their unique and beautiful display could equally have made the grade under several other headings.

 

When these awards first began almost two decades ago they were practically ignored by all except the fringe media and perhaps it is some indication of a slightly more positive change in attitudes in the UK that the exhibition this year has received a considerable amount of serious publicity, including in some quality national newspapers.

 

This year’s showing has been every bit as artistic, entertaining and informative as have previous exhibitions and I am already looking  forward to the 2007 event, which I am sure will continue to provide the essential success and support for the unique Outsiders Organisation and it’s hard working volunteers and management.

 

 

Mark Golding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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