Camille Lee

‘How Pornography becomes Pornography’, HPBP, is an ongoing open-ended project, a social experiment based on locations and human senses.

The first HPBP project is about vision.

The artist put her own nasty-looking (implying nudity) pictures without evidences about her identity but with the project’s web page address on public spaces like the subway stations. Some of sexually important parts like the breasts are covered with silver-colored plate like scratch cards, and the webpage address is under them. So, the audiences only can see the plated parts and half naked pictures, which imply ‘more nasty’ at the first time.

The first HPBP’s proposition is that, ‘Before your voyeurism, there was no pornography’. Can we call voyeurism as a curiosity justly? It is more complicated but obvious. Curiosity involves with violence sometimes. But voyeurism is violence by itself.

Most of adult films are made from male perspective not in the First person’s perspective like real sexual situations, but third person’s’ perspective. Adult films are only small examples; most of the pornographies have a similar way of conversation. Why all the pornographies took these manners of talking? Firstly, the third-person effect is subjective, which means narrow provides for fantasies. Secondly, it reduces audiences’ responsibilities about the objectification of others. For instance, rape playing.

HPBP discloses processes of voyeurism. To reach the last step, audiences have to go through several vexatious steps. They have to take the picture off from public spaces first, pill out the plated part and finally connect to the website. On the main page of the site, they can see ‘How can we make pornographies?’ only. On the second page, there is an ‘Animal porn clip’ on it. Under the clip, there is a link saying ‘more’. Then people can get to the last page, which has a message for them. ‘Thank you for your participation :) your visit log was collected - This project is about Peeping Tomism/Voyeurism. You completed the process 'making pornography'. Thanks to your voyeurism.’

It drags the audiences to reach the last step, and leans on voyeurism more powerful and forcing one than curiosity. The voyeurism, aroused by ‘implied nudity of someone’. Like the magazines’ pages that are partly stuck together*.

Artist can get the audiences’ log, like their locations, genders, devices, reached pages and time, etc. As the posting goes by, the data show distinct features, especially under gender and user flow. This database can also be used for further researches and future projects.