In this morning class we will wake up rediscovering the pleasure of movement through our bones,organs, muscles… We will play with the infinite possibilities of our body. We will use movement, touch, breath, voice and mind to develop our self awareness and spread our presence into space.
“The orgasmic force favours no organ over any other, so that the penis possesses no more orgasmic force than the vagina, the eye, or the toe”
Paul B. Preciado
Pleasure Rocks explores the erotic boundary between organic and inorganic, matter and body, human and non-human, pleasure and stones. The title goes with the sense of the work: it plays with the word “rocks” to talk about the pleasure in itself – the pleasure is awesome, it rocks – and to tell a possibility of pleasure, here the one of the stones. Pleasure Rocks proceeds without distinction or categorization of pleasure and of the relationship between human and nature: it moves through the time of exploration and perception, of care space and (re)connection between bodies – whether made of blood or minerals. In Pleasure Rocks the possibility of pleasure becomes the medium of the mutual relationship between organic and inorganic bodies towards an ideal post human eroticism.
The workshop is a place of contemplation, action and listening where participants are led to relate to stone not as an object but as matter that transforms and it is transformed. Movement and stillness through the stones generate new landscapes in which bodies immerse themselves. Pleasure Rocks becomes an act of release, a meditation but also a play that explores new and different types of pleasure: a queer trans/intimacy (K. Barad).
Pleasure Rocks is part of the Pornopoetica project.
Pornopoetica The wider artistic project Pornopoetica develops through performance, workshop, installation, video, photography and that reflects on pornography from different points of view, proposing a rewriting of it. Pornopoetica explores the oscillation of desire, its political force which breaks the rules of normality. Mobile, unstable, metamorphic and nomadic; undetermined, undefined, not categorized.
Why talk about alternatives to monogamy? CNM’s field of reflection seems a privileged and potentially very interesting point of observation for anyone who wants to question their own relational choices. It makes sense to talk about CNM because an increasing number of individuals and couples are looking for viable alternatives to marital infidelity or serial monogamy for their intimate, emotional or occasional relationships. It makes sense to talk about CNM because it broadens the spectrum of possibilities in favor of any other choice. A position, in some ways extreme of the spectrum, tells more clearly of the needs, desires, fears and insecurities that that choice highlights most, especially when outside the dominant norm. In this sense it would be interesting to analyze the wish for closeness/freedom beyond an apparent dichotomy but opening it to an idea of co-ownership and complexity. The desire for stability, commitment and building a family is presented to us as incompatible with the desire for discovery and change. Would it be possible instead to conjugate, cross or otherwise look at both these tensions? Such an intent would inevitably lead to a clash with the ideal of the bourgeois family, now clearly broken and fragmented under the pressure of civil and individual rights claims, although still celebrated by national and international conservative forces. It makes sense to talk about it precisely because CNM, in its political sense, is undoubtedly in the wake of the sexual revolution, LGBTQ struggles and feminism. The resulting radical thinking adds important pieces to the collective and individual process of self-determination towards a path of relational revolution that tries to question, among others, the monogamous and couples-centered ideal.
If we consider porn to be a genre for adult entertainment we pretty much lack a definition of what is ‘ethical’ or even what ‘good pornography’ is. ‘Ethical’ would be better defined by the process behind the creation of a movie rather than by its content, making sure that the performers can work in a safe and respectful environment. Pornography is a performance and if put in a proper context, viewers can see it for what it is. The pornography that I like is a place where we can explore sexual imagery that transcends the mainstream industry’s dictates and heteronormative narratives, and where cinematic values and the diversity of pleasure – and its representation – can be expressed. After having experienced film productions that embrace an ‘ethical’ approach to pornography, I started to reflect on what I learnt on set about consent, fantasy, power, and intimacy; on how to develop it into ‘good practices’ for performers and directors, and make it an accessible and empowering tool for everyone. In the safe space of this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to share and confront different experiences of intimacy, power dynamics and sexual identities, whilst playfully exploring sexual fantasies. Some scenarios scare us; others make us feel powerful. We can find subversive ways of staging them collectively, moving beyond predominantly white male-oriented traditional porn narrative. Let’s connect and play by sinking into our senses and creativity and bringing to life the porn act of our dreams. The workshop is divided into two parts, each of which can be followed independently.
In the first part we’ll practice movement, breath, sensual embodiment and BDSM play, and we’ll open a conversation about our sexual fantasies, connecting with the others and meeting each other with curiosity and respect. We’ll create a safe space in which we can slow down, relax, and open up to our emotions and senses in a creative framework. In this first part of the workshop, we’ll primarily experience bodywork, although some of the exercises might involve touch and sensual exploration.
WHAT TO BRING:
· Comfortable clothes
· Water bottle
· A blanket/towel
· Your sex toys
· Notebook and pen
· Costumes, lingerie, masks, toys, make-up, any prop turns your fantasy on (specifically for the second part)
In the second part (90′) we’ll explore our fantasies in-depth and bring them to life with others in a playful and safe space. Through the ‘alphabet of porn,’ we’ll reflect on the categories and clichès of traditional porn and we’ll work together to put new and subversive narratives in action. We’ll set up different porn scenarios leading to a choral (and sexually explicit) tableau vivant that will be captured on one polaroid photo (subject to the participants’ consent). No other filming will be allowed, in order to respect the participants’ privacy. In this part of the workshop, sex may be involved, but you are free to leave the group and the space at any moment and for as long as you you need it. You may also chat with me or my collaborator at any point in the activity.
· WHAT TO BRING · Comfortable clothes · Water bottle · A blanket/towel · Your sex toys · Notebook and pen · Costumes, lingerie, masks, toys, make-up, any prop turns your fantasy on (specifically for the second part)