Our Mascot
- ARTISTS
Gutterorchid (UK)
Using the same computer graphics technology behind movies such as Avatar and Toy Story to bring his dreams – and nightmares – into virtual reality, London-based Gutterorchid simultaneously shocks and delights in his quest to portray the beauty found in less obvious subjects: “especially the people pushed to the shadows, the ignored... Most of us have two legs but some of us have none. Most men have a pair of balls, though some have a bigger set than others.”
http://www.gutterorchid.com
Jamie McCartney (UK)
A self-confessed maverick, this Brighton-based, experimental sculptor is best known for his monumental Great Wall of Vagina: plaster casts of the vulvas of 400 women, from 18 year old students to a grandmother of 76. This epic display of genital diversity took five years to complete and was motivated by the realisation that: "Many women have anxiety about their genital appearance. It appalled me that our society has created yet one more way to make women feel bad about themselves. I decided that I was uniquely placed to do something about it."
http://brightonbodycasting.com/bodycasting.php
Xue Wang (China)
Born in northern China, Xue Wang came to London, aged 22, to complete an MA in fashion at the University Of Westminster. But, as she says, “the self-reflective intimacy of art, which has always been latent in me, forced my transition from fashion to painting.” Combining the iconography of childhood with the cultural heritage of Victoriana, vintage fashion, classic films and pin-ups, she places cartoon-like girls in risqué settings to create pop surrealist images possessing both eroticism and a hint of menace.
http://xuewangart.blogspot.com/ - CAMPAIGNER
Adult Industry Trade Association (UK)
With a turnover of hundreds of millions of pounds every year, adult trades and services are no longer part of a seedy underground but they are still frequently maligned. Headed by Chair, Jerry Barnett, AITA works tirelessly to ensure that the industry is properly represented before Government and regulators; it counters media misrepresentation of adult entertainment; and it aims to raise standards for the business as a whole, providing everything from information on practical matters to social gatherings with international guest speakers.
http://www.aita.co.uk
John Constable (UK)
During the 16th century countless prostitutes were buried in the unhallowed ground of Cross Bones, an ancient burial site near Borough High Street, SE1. Since the mid-1990s, London poet John Constable has fought to have their last resting place recognised as a heritage site and to establish a garden of rememberance. His cycle of poems and plays, the Southwark Mysteries, which pays homage to the 'Winchester Geese', who plyed their trade in the stews of the South Bank, has been performed in settings as diverse as Shakespeare's Globe and Southwark Cathedral.
http://www.crossbones.org.uk
http://www.southwarkmysteries.co.uk
http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/cross-bones-graveyard-heritage-site/signatures.html
Onscenity (UK)
This network of academics and educators, health and legal experts, producers and activists, aims to develop new approaches to the relationships between sex, commerce, media and technology. Drawing on the work of leading, international scholars, it will map the contemporary landscape of sexual practices and co-ordinate a new wave of research. A lively and informative seminar on Sex And Regulation was held in London in February 2011, and further events include an international conference in 2012.
http://www.onscenity.org - EROTIC FILM SOCIETY AWARD
Presented by the Erotic Film Society in recognition of a significant contribution to the appreciation of the art and history of erotic cinema made during the past year.
Score: Uncensored Version (USA)
Starring Claire Wilbur, Calvin Culver, Lynn Lowry, Gerald Grant, Carl Parker. Director Radley Metzger. Distributor Cult Epics
Radley Metzger is one of the finest film-makers ever to work in erotic cinema and Score (1974) is his comic masterpiece of polysexual seduction, by turns hilarious and horny. Previously only available on DVD in a cut version, this new, high-definition transfer (DVD and Blu-Ray) by Cult Epics restores the imagery which includes graphic gay action and group sex. Plus there is extensive 'on location' footage, an interview with star Lynn Lowry and – for the first time ever – a commentary track by Radley Metzger himself.
http://www.cultepics.com - FASHION
Patrice Catanzaro (France)
The chic fetish clothing of Patrice Catanzaro was brought to London from Marseilles by Libertinesque last year. Creating “seriously sexy to faintly fetish” fashions for women of all ages, Patrice's desire to flatter the bosom is matched by a passion for fine fabrics that fit like a second skin, leading him to create his own. Called ‘laqué’, it has a unique texture – fine and smooth, stretchy and light, draping like raw silk, moulding to the skin to leave you feeling almost naked.
http://bestsellers.patricecatanzaro.com
http://www.feeling-by-catanzaro.com
http://www.patricecatanzaro.com
libertinesque-blog.com/patrice-catanzaro
Libertinesque Boutique: 282 Westbourne Park Road, London W11 1EH Tel: 020 7221 4414
Engineers of Desire (UK)
Cassie Carpenter's truly personalised service promises to turn your unique fashion fantasies into reality. Her corsets are not just distinctive; they are also ecologically sound, making use of recycled leather and rubber. Unusual colours and styles are customised with beautiful feathers or leather wings, etched aluminium panels for body armour, and silver jewellery. Should you wish to take your look to extremes, Engineers of Desire even offer matching vehicle makeovers!
http://www.engineersofdesire.com
Tel:020 771 929 8190 cascarpenter_eod@hotmail.com
http://www.myspace.com/engineersofdesire
Kobi Livi (Israel)
Kobi designs shoes that appeal to the female shoe fetishist – which probably means the majority of women. They are wearable sculpture, sexual and alive. "In my artistic footwear design the shoe is my canvas,” he says. “Most of the inspirations are out of the 'shoe-world' and... the result is usually humoristic.” His designs are sold all over the world though all are made by hand in his studio in Tel Aviv. They are permanent exhibits in the Paris-based Virtual Shoe Museum.
http://kobilevidesign.blogspot.com
http://www.virtualshoemuseum.com
- FILM
An Open Invitation: A Real Swingers Party in San Francisco(USA)
Starring: Lorelei Lee, India Summer, James Deen, Mickey Mod
Director Ilana Rothman. Distributor Private Independent.
Described as 'first and foremost a love story', this tale of a young married couple's tentative steps beyond their staid sex life into the world of swinging, has won rave reviews. Adult Video News gave it its highest rating, calling it, 'A real game-changer... the best couples film to come along in years.' For its wild conclusion, director Ilana Rothman let her actors lose among 127 amateur swingers, capturing some of the most authentically passionate sexual acrobatics ever committed to video.
http://www.privatelifestyle.com
The Lovers' Guide 3D: Igniting Desire (UK)
Written by Emily Dibberly. Director Kenneth D Rye, Distributor Optimum Releasing.
Twenty years after it first revolutionised British sex education videos, the latest incarnation of this truly informative and detailed series adds an extra dimension! The imaginative 3D photography sensitively captures several couples – all of whom are believably attractive rather than artificially glamorous – as they demonstrate a variety of intimate techniques, while the commentary also emphasises emotional and psychological aspects. And, to make it the perfect, sharing guide to love-making, 21st century style, two pairs of stereoscopic glasses are thoughtfully provided!
www.loversguide.com
www.optimumreleasing.com
Till Sex Do Us Part (Spain)
Starring: Lesly Kiss, Manuel Falcon, Dunia Montenegro, David Galant
Director Roberto Valtueña, Distributor Thagson Deluxe
No formulaic porno clichés here, this is a fresh and funny tale of an adult model with an unpredictable, interesting sex life. Manipulative Helen has a regular partner who is loyal but dull. She's also attracted to a moody conceptual artist... but to entice him she must first corrupt his innocent girlfriend. Wittily written and imaginatively directed, with performers who really can act, it's as well made as many mainstream, art-house movies but with sex scenes as scorching as the Spanish sun.
www.thagson.com
- INNOVATION
Infernal Mechanix (UK)
Danny Mackenzie is the world's leading creator of dungeon furniture, satisfying the lusts of fiendish fetishists and pervacious players alike. Having established himself as master of his trade, he next opened a club, Hades, a 'playground for the seriously perverted' and he also runs the dungeon at the Night of the Senses. But, having seen inferior copies of his work pirated around the globe, he is now thinking of bowing out gracefully, which would be a dreadful loss to the British fetish scene.
h9_danny@live.co.uk
Handisex (Denmark)
This Copenhagen-based service offers practical help for disabled people who can’t masturbate due to their impairment. The client selects a sex toy, the helper attaches it and the client is left alone to enjoy themself. The helper only re-enters the room when called to remove the toy. Handisex also provides opportunities for disabled people to talk about their sexuality and to attend lectures, which are open to carers and families as well as people with disabilities. "Our goal is to make eroticism acceptable, approachable and loveable for everyone!"
info@handisex.dk
http://www.handisex.dk
Swallow and Bone (UK)
A family concern, run by Steve Jarvis and his daughter, which combines multi-disciplined design skills and master craftsmanship to create contemporary artifacts that challenge prejudice, and break down boundaries by adding sensual ambience to the daily world. Their best know work is probably the enormous penis chandelier which was launched at the 2010 Night of the Senses. Its fame spread beyond the erotic underground when it was referred to by former Home Secretary Jackie Smith in a BBC radio documentary and subsequently appeared in several national newspapers.
http://www.swallowandbone.com/products/priapus-chandelier
http://swallowandbone.wordpress.com/
- LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Dian Hanson (USA)
Aged 24 and stuck in a dead-end town studying medicine, Dian Hanson made a momentous decision: to devote her life to fun. She has never looked back.
Moving to New York, she helped launch the glossy adult magazine Puritan. This was the golden age of men's publications and Dian worked on many of the most successful, including Oui, Adult Cinema Review, Juggs, Tight and many, many more.
But even more significant than the titles in this illustrious list was the one which may be considered her crowning achievement, Leg Show, which she edited from 1987 until 2001.
Through Leg Show, she discovered a sub-culture of fetishists whose needs, until then, had been largely ignored. Studying the intricacies of their tastes and translating them into words and photos was a challenge that totally stimulated and engrossed her.
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WILLIAM MARGOLD (USA)
Next year, the 'Renaissance Man' of porn celebrates four decades working at almost every level in what he refers to as the 'Playpen of the Damned'.
"We are damned not on religious grounds but for sociological reasons by a hypocritical society," he explains.
He's been an actor in over 160 hard-core films; a scriptwriter and director; an agent and critic; an activist, a fund raiser, a welfare counsellor... and the voice of conscience in an industry commonly thought to lack one.
Over the years he became the first point of contact for many who wished to enter XXX and quickly saw him as their 'Papa Bear'. Among his notable discoveries are Seka, Serena, Amber Lynn, Viper and, more recently Anita Cannibal.
He has been a tireless campaigner for free speech, notably telling the anti-porn Meese Commission, in October 1985: "In a society that is drug-infested, violence-wracked and polluted by chemical greed...no one has ever died from an overdose of Pornography.”
http://www.billmargold.com
http://www.pawfoundation.org - OUTSIDERS AWARD
Ian Hudson (UK)
Ian is an artist who regularly attends the Night of the Senses. At the 2008 Ball, he approached Tuppy to say that one of her sites, TLC was not working properly, adding: “If I may, perhaps, offer my assistance...?” Since that time, Ian has been beavering away, first on the TLC web pages and then on the Outsiders site, making them not just technically perfect but gorgeous to look at. The new Outsiders site was launched in April 2011.
http://www.tlc-trust.org.uk
http://www.outsiders.org.uk
- PERFORMER : COMEDIENNE
Ophelia Bitz (UK)
Sharing stages and screens with Derren Brown, Tim Burton, The Tiger Lillies, Paul Zennon, The Puppini Sisters and popstar Mika, with her own brand of outrageous sexy comedy, Ophelia is the ultimate all-round entertainer. She is the sharpest razor-tongued wit in London, a vocalist, ring-mistress, compere and performance artist with a reputation for stealing hearts, drinks, and anything else not nailed to the table. Hang on to your hats!
http://www.opheliabitz.com
- PERFORMER : FETISH
Boykitten (UK)
A beautiful, 22-year-old FtM transsexual who enjoys his femininity and expresses himself through auto-suspension. Knowing about his painful arthritic condition increases the impressiveness of his act, leaving people spellbound and on the edge of their chairs, captivated by his androgenous body and sense of purpose.
http://boykitten.co.uk boykitten@hotmail.co.uk
- PERFORMER : MALE STRIPTEASE ARTIST
Drew Passion (UK)
A classic male striptease artist with a great body, sweet sense of humour and a heart of gold. Perhaps it's his face that wins the girls over: impish, street-wise, dashing. Drew's stage presence is perhaps the most laid-back ever witnessed, bringing girls up from the audience and spontaneously allowing the audience into his secret thoughts.
http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Drew-Passion/1751057103?sk=info
- PERFORMER : MALE PERFORMANCE ARTIST
Equador (UK)
This talented magician is changing the face of male striptease of male striptease by presenting a masculine allure that is both whimsical, comical and dramatic, as well as generous, sensuous and not at all cockcentric.
http://equadorthewizard.com/Boylesque.03.02.html
- PERFORMER : FEMALE STRIPTEASE ARTIST
Mistress Euzebia (Poland)
She's a crazy tom-boy hardcore striptease artist and an international wrestler. Wildly alternative, she manages to be both vulgar and elegant at the same time. Her show is unpredictable, yet polished.
- PERFORMER : SINGER
Rooh Star (UK)
Rooh uses her rich soulful earthy voice to sing a joyful celebration of holiest of holes. The Holy Hole is Rooh's song, in praise of vaginas and reclaiming of the word cunt. With her song, comes with two gorgeous dancing girls, Katie Sarr and Sarah Robinson, graphically acting out the words. Rooh is a heartfelt, funny, quirky and engaging carrier of songs from deep inside the feminine psyche.
- PERFORMER : FEMALE PERFORMANCE ARTIST
Sabrina Sweepstakes (Canada)
This highly competent performer possesses a perfect figure, zany amusing talent, contortion and ballet skills and an ambition to create much more than striptease. She's the talk of the London Cabaret circuit, appearing at The Box, where audiences find her delightful and unforgettable.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=513356187
http://www.stripcheez.com/video/sabrina-sweepstakes
- PHOTOIGRAPHER
Daikichi Amono (Japan)
This extraordinary visual artist creates powerful photographs and extreme videos involving girls with octopuses, eels and other aquatic creatures.... all of which are eaten afterwards! He explains his work by saying: "I felt that the relation was amusing and that it was lascivious and then beautiful." Asked if he is an artist or pornographer, he replies: "I think that the people who have an interest in my work should decide... For the way of taking a picture, the pornography and the art are the same."
http://www.daikichiamano.comGregory Brown (UK)
Gregory graduated in graphic design and worked for many years in commercial media but now specialises in photography, especially artistic and fine art nudes, fashion and fetish genres. Widely published on both sides of the Atlantic, his work has taken him through Europe, the Americas and the Far East, creating limited edition prints and taking on commissions for international clients. Gregory began life as a saxophone player, playing with the Temptations, Big Sound Authority and Paul Weller, among others.
http://gregorybrownphotography.com/Rod McDonald (UK)
“The body fills me with wonder and awe,” says Rod, whose work with models from late teens to middle-age, reflects a range of physical types as his ideas and feelings about photography of the human form grow and change. “Images of the body make a powerful connection with us. They are us - as we are, as we were, as we would like to be, as we fear to become - or perhaps they are the Other we desire or fear.”
http://www.eveproductions.com
- PIONEER
Blue Bar at the Robert Peel (UK)
Pub striptease is a time-honoured tradition in Britain but, in recent years, it has become an increasingly hard and less-pleasant way to make a living. Kingston's Robert Peel, which has hosted striptease for over 30 years, has set out to change all that, thanks to the new manager, Lee, for both dancers and audiences. As regular performer Solitaire says, “The Peel makes me remember all the reasons I ever wanted to be a striptease artist and how much I still love it.... It’s the one pub left where I feel valued and respected”.
Robert Peel, Cambridge Road, Kingston, KT1 3HH
http://www.PeelBlueBar.co.ukLuca Darkholme (France/UK)
A male sex worker who co-founded the London Sex Worker Open University. It began as a week of events by and for sex workers and allies to explore the richness and contradictions of their industry. Academics, sex workers, activists, feminists, psychologists from London, Denmark, New Zealand, U.S debated and networked. They even aimed to understand the abolitionist feminist argument. The Sex worker Open University brought many new sex workers to the world of activism and community, building internationally.
http://www.sexworkeropenuniversity.com
David Miller and his Loving Links (UK)
David started Loving Links in 1995 as a printed newsletter for married people seeking extra-marital relationships. Its first on-line incarnation, in the early days of the internet, was as a forum then, as the web grew, it developed into a fully fledged dating site. David actively promotes the rights of people trapped in celibate and cold marriages both in the UK and overseas. He collaborated with Desmond Wilcox to produce the ITV documentary 'Adultery or Therapy?' which brought extra-marital relationships into the mainstream.
http://www.lovinglinks.co.uk
- SEX WORKER FEMALE
Lara Latex (UK)
Lara is a busy, funny, multi-tasking woman who works as an escort, model and film-maker and porn star. She is tall, leggy, fully tri-sexual, and possesses a passion for sexual deviance. She offers OWO, GFE and the ultimate PSE (Porn Star Experience) and absolutely loves watching clients leave with a smile on their face. Lara says, “My dreams are to legalise safe working environments for escorts; stop sex trafficking and enforced marriages; and campaign for these things because the freedoms I enjoy through my jobs, I am fully aware that others see as the chains that bind them.”
http://www.french-maid.co.uk
Kitty Stryker (USA)
Kitty sums herself up as a 'queer femme' and 'contemporary courtesan' but she is also an academic, an activist and an instigator. Or, as her nominator put it, “This woman is an inspiration to all females out there!” Kitty specializes in erotic touch for trauma survivors, helping people with disabilities navigate their sensual potential, and BDSM for newbies. She helps her clients come to terms with their sexualities, learn pleasure-giving techniques and to communicate with their lovers. Her dream is to create a luxurious spa where sexuality is respected as self care.
http://kittystryker.moonfruit.com/
twitter.com/kittystryker
Tantric Temple (UK)
Founder Anastasia Tantrika bravely stuck her neck out and has changed the face of the industry with beautiful, erotically-trained young ladies. To keep more strictly within the law, each lady is now working on their own mini-temple. “They bring love, peace, and happiness, free from oppression and shame.” says Anastasia, “I love watching the magic take place. My dream is that one day we can have a Tantric Temple on the high street and it will be ‘OK’ ”.
http://www.tantricmassagelondon.net - SEX WORKER MALE
Josh Brandon (UK)
From the start, Josh, just up to London from Wales, decided that if he was going to have sex for money, he had to do so as a properly run career. Since then, his confidence has grown from all the compliments he's been given and from the realisation that his clients are increasing in confidence themselves from their experience. As well as running www.gayescorts.net he is currently writing an escort guide. Josh revealed, “One client in the US told me how his family life is better, he felt more at ease in himself with his kids and his wife. As strange as it was to me, this was the nicest reward of all.”
http://www.JoshBrandon.com
http://www.joshescort.com
http://joshboy18@gmail.com
http://joshescort.blogspot.com/2010/09/london-escort-boy-josh-introduction.html
http://sexworkkindle.wordpress.com/2011/04/04/highest-paid-uk-gay-escort/
http://www.milkboys.org/article/teasing-tuesday-29/
Phoenix (UK)
Phoenix can be vanilla to sleazy, and can handle more than you would imagine from looking at him. He is rare in that he kisses his clients, and says he does so with pride and skill. He holds an ITEC diploma 3 holder in massage therapy, which is how he got into sex work, and enjoys the tactile side of his business. He loves the spontineity that comes with working as an escort, that you never live the same day twice. Phoenix only sees men.
lei_wulan@hotmail.com http://www.gaydar.co.uk/scripts/ndisplay.asp?userid=.ovallyminx&viewtype=preview
John Secunda (UK)
John describes himself as a sex worker who helps people discover their “authentic sexual selves”. He coaches clients to go beyond their blocks and limitations and teaches people to be kind to themselves and their bodies by understanding the concept and experience of self love. He inspires couples who are in love to deal with unfaithfulness by incorporating polyamory into their relationship. John is very passionate about his work, promoting self awareness and meditation in sexual activity and using sex for transformation. He sees men, women and couples and has set up the naturist tantric Alto Sax Retreat Centre.
www.alto-sax.co.uk
01376 344 911 - STORYTELLER
Madeline Moore (Canada)
Madeline is an experienced and widely published erotic short story teller who began her career when a writing tutor told her 'You write great sex without metaphor, which isn't easy to do.' The publication of her first short pieces led to a commission from Black Lace for a novel. Her story 'Get Up Stand Up' appears in the recent publication and e-book, The Cougar Book. Believable, moving, intelligent, unpretentious, unpredictable, highly erotic and original, it says lots about life, love and lust and is a joy to read.
http://telltale.ca/madelinemoore.html
Open Sauce by Radical X (UK)
The overall aim of Radical X is to create participatory art projects which link sexuality and politics. Following their highly successful e-zine project Play!Fight!, they have initiated Open Sauce, an erotic story which anyone can edit. Starting with a core of quotes, taken from popular romantic novels, it has undergone countless mutations as contributions are added, altered and deleted, making for an eternal 'work in progress' in which the ebb and flow of narrative and ideas are as fascinating as the story itself.
http://radicalx.ox4.orgWhatsername (UK)
Neat, rapturous poems and short stories that go for the joystick jugular. The stories – to use her own description – are a unique mishmash of always inappropriate prose, poetry and profanity, guaranteed to instil outrage and laughter. They are as yet unpublished, but are vibrantly part of the writer's life of passion. Perhaps they will be seen up on the walls of the Tea and Empathy Tent at the Night of the Senses, which is run by herself. Well recognised, this lady participated in the first two series of Radio 4's Bespoken Word. She is the mother of five, and we wonder where she finds the time! - WEBSITE
Fetishman (UK)
First appearing in print in 2004 and now on-line, with weekly updates, this comic strip combines sexual kink with tales of derring-do. It recounts how 'gimp hero' Fetishman fearlessly fights crime while wearing a skintight latex suit... and how he invariably fails, owing to the aforementioned restrictive rubber gear. With a supporting cast including sidekick Lactose Intolerant Boy and an ironically minimalist visual style, it is an epic of futility and ridiculousness, which has been described as "cute" and "rude" in equal measure.
http://www.fetishman.co.uk
FetLife (USA) An exceptionally friendly (not bitchy!), welcoming, easy-to-use website which is free to join. They call themselves a small community of 750,000+ kinksters around the world. Each new member is welcomed in person and there's a wide range of choices and things to do on the site, including a group for disabled people and those who like disabled people, and even car-share to events! It's great for meeting people locally and learning more about yourself in the comfort of your own home.
http://www.fetlife.com
The Life Erotic (Canada)
This subscription site offers erotic photographs and videos which transcend simple visual beauty to capture intimate moments with an explicitness seldom seen in such superbly crafted images. These are not simply passive nudes but real young women conveying all the emotion and drama of sexual ecstasy, shot in imaginative settings with sculptural lighting and creative camera angles. It is edgy erotica aimed at the sensually refined and visually sophisticated, and the vast majority of the 200 plus models are unique to the site.
http://www.thelifeerotic.com
- WRITER
Kate Bornstein (US)
Legendary transgender activist, author, playwright and performance artist, Kate Bornstein is best known for her ground-breaking books on postmodern gender theory, including Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us and My Gender Workbook. Her most recent work, Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation, written with S. Bear Bergman, brings together personal stories and comic drawings to reveal a whole spectrum of possible gender identities. "Shifts in subculture move in waves through the meta-culture," she says.
http://www.herizons.ca/node/448Lippy Girl (UK) Lippy Girl writes a blog singing the joys of long labia. She is also an 'intactivist' writing in the media to highlight the misrepresentation of foreskins and male circumcision. She digs into the politico-social historical context of genital surgery and says it's unacceptable that articles/programmes almost never make the point that highly sensitive tissues are being amputated. Lippy Girl asks why we are waging war on genitals. She's hoping to write more about the links between sex drive and genital morphology as, in her experience, having long labia seems to go hand-in-hand with a high sex drive.
http://hottentotapron.blogspot.comAnna Simpson (UK) Deputy Editor at Green Futures whose article ‘Sex: the next ethical industry?’ has stimulated enthusiasm about quality, responsibility and sustainability in the sex world. Anna wishes to move this forward and chart the beginnings of a scheme to promote pioneering practice in the sex industry, bringing greater respect to those working in it, and setting high standards for others to follow. She's calling it Care & Consent and sees it working rather like the Fairtrade label.
http://www.greenfutures.org.uk