The NYC’s Museum of Sex opens an interactive erotic fairground of ‘sexual pleasures and perils.’
The NYC Museum of Sex is one museum that you’ll never feel bored in. Looking to brush up on some sexual culture? The Museum of Sex’s ‘erotic fairground’ is an exhibit that will really give you a reason to stare at the walls, and the best part is that all of the art is interactive; so go ahead and get grabby.
But this exhibit is more than just a peep show. FUNLAND: Pleasures & Perils of the Erotic Fairground, is an art installation by renowned London-based conceptual artist duo Bompas& Parr, and it features a selection of “carnival attractions” for audiences to enjoy and experience while they contemplate the sexual subtext of carnivals.
This immersive exhibition, commissioned by the Museum of Sex, features five “attractions” designed to stimulate all five senses in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Physical, visual and olfactory experiences are utilized to give the audience a breathless rush of endorphins (similar to those released at the point of orgasm), challenge their strength and agility, and allow them to compete with and impress friends and lovers, as well as other patrons.
Amongst the interactive experiences, visitors are invited to jump high in “Jump for Joy,” a moonbounce made of giant, over-sized breasts (anyone else’s dream-come-true?), scale a wall of orifices and appendages in “Grope Mountain,” and lose themselves in “The Tunnel of Love,” a mirrored labyrinth that leads patrons on a climactic journey to the Gräfenberg (or “G”) Spot, all while listening to a custom carnival soundscape by composer Dom James and tempted by edible treats designed by Bompas& Parr.
To illustrate the rich history of fairground eroticism and to help provide the cultural context for this exhibition, Bompas& Parr have collaborated with Professor Vanessa Toulmin, Director of the UK National Fairground Archive and recent speaker at the PSFK Conference. To learn more about the historical context behind this exhibition, please read Toulmin’s essay, As Graceful As They Were Disgraceful: Eroticism and the Fairground.
So ladies, come on out and visit the sexiest art exhibit in NYC, where you’re sure to leave satisfied.