Sex and technology and culture, oh my!
If you’re in San Francisco this weekend, here’s something for you: the Arse Elektronika conference on sex, technology, culture and class.
Put on by monochrom, an “art-technology-philosophy group,” the conference brings together experts to discuss some rather tantalizing questions about the above topics. As the event’s website describes it, Arse Elektronika seeks answers on questions such as:
Is there working class, middle class and upper class porn? How does the commercial sex industry reproduce and enforce racial, gender, and class exploitation and dominance? How do people use sex and sexual technology to transgress or change social status? How can DIY porn and sex tech counter the social injustices reproduced by the commercial sex industry? Does gay porn make use of the class, race, and power tropes found in heterosexual pornography, and if so, how?
The event kicks off on Thursday with the Prixxx Arse award for “sex machines, orgasmotrons and teledildonics,” with workshops following throughout the weekend on such varied topics as “Make Your Own Mind Controlled Dildo,” “Proverted Pastimes: Orgasms and Gameplay” and “What Does it Mean to be a Technosexual?”
If I were anywhere near San Francisco, I’d be there in a heartbeat as much of the conference touches on things found in Sex, Bombs and Burgers. Alas, I’ll be about as far away as possible, camping in Algonquin Park. Can somebody check it out and fill me in?
How did you hear about this? Is there some secret sexual technology list serve that I don’t know about? I love that they ask this very important question: “Should your health insurance be paying for your vibrator?” If they pay for Viagra, they should pay for your dildo.