➞Research

Nature roads, expats (8/04) - my part of the group research

border

"105 Interfaces" (2 first interfaces, 12/04)

"50 signs" (15/04)

keywords:
-dominatrix
-fetish
-roleplay
-leather
-latex
-power play
-unbalanced power dynamic

mapping the user, mapping the other (9/04)

User Stories excercise (for 19/04, Rogerio)

AS A


I NEED


SO THAT

sex worker


more ways I can connect with my clients on an emotional level


both of us enjoys the experience more

AS A


I NEED


SO THAT

sex worker


a way to communicate better with my clients


both of us enjoys the experience more

AS A


I NEED


SO THAT

dominatrix


a way to communicate with my client in a comfortable and confidential way


the experience is safe for both of us

AS A


I NEED


SO THAT

dominatrix and a sex worker


a way to check if my clients will be safe to work with


the experience is safe for both of us, and especially I won't risk being assaulted in any way

★explore the power dynamics between dominatrix and their clients

(Answear) Type & Stereotype excercise (for 19/04, Mark)

- can't form healthy relationships (nd)
- no moral values, will have sex with everyone etc.
(debunked - throught research about dominatrixes, we found out
that they actually are cultured, describe themselves as cultured,
familiar with etiquette rules etc. - not to imply a certain
kind of behaviour etc. on this group of people, though it's
not a bad thing obviously)
- lower class (nd)
- not educated (nd, but not so sure about it after researching either)
- criminals, don't pay taxes etc. (nd, but not so sure about it either)



curiosities:
- what is their education level?
- why did they choose this job?
- what do they take away from this job?
- does it affect their mental health and/or relationships with people?
- how does their daily life look like?

relate:
- I don't quite relate to this group on a surface level,
but I am sure they are some similar aspects about us, as their work is not their
only character trait

feelings:
- I think I was more negative and sceptical about them in the past,
but I over the years, I came to a realisation, that every person
should do what they find suitable for them, as long as they do no harm.



- "sluts"
- stupid
- scantily dressed



- lingerie
- latex suits
- whips, sex toys etc.

where can we see them? : jokes, tv, internet, conversations with people,
art, photographs (photoshoots etc.), mainstream media

-who?
people outside of the sex working, specifically dominatrix
community - so quite a large group of people
-why?
ignorance, lack of knowledge on the topic, stereotyped image
shown on the internet/tv/art/heard from other people
-conflicts?
the system of opression that we can see targeting this group is mostly
classism - sex working community is seen as uneducated, lazy,
pays no taxes etc., basically as criminals. We can also connect
racism to this situation, as a lot of sex workers are also POCs,
which makes the discrimination even more suvere for them (adds
racial stereotypes). Another type of descrimination would for sure
be sexism, for 2 reasons:
1) sex workers are assumed to be mostly female, thus customers are mostly men,
and as women have to face sexism even as non-sex workers, I assume the
uneven power dynamic in situations of a sexual service, could be far more
dangerous to the workers. I also think the whole industry could either be
extremely sexist or empowering - on one hand women (not in all cases) choose to
be a sex worker and explore their sexuality on their ruler, but also the concept
of men being able to quite literally choose and pay for whatever women they please (and
to do what they want with them) is problematic as a whole concept, and can reflect in reality
(not to that extent, but is still very visible).
2) Another quite obvious problem of sexism is leaving out sex workers who are not
females, out of the conversation. This takes away their platform to represent them, and
people similar to them.
Agism is also a big thing in sex working, but I feel like there are always people
who will have a certain type of preference, and thus every sex worker is in a way
valid (but that's also a conversation about fetishes, and why some of them could or could
not be problematic).



I think dominatrix as a user group is highly controversial, and therefore free in speaking
their mind, and doing exactly what they want - eve though a lot of them probably keep/kept
their work life a secret, because they were scared of the reaction of others. Even though,
I think they use the symbols they are associated with, to gain clientelle that's maybe not
very educated on the topic yet. The stereotypes also came from somewhere, so obviously a lot
of the techniques/clothes etc. are actually seen in real situations.

3.1

3.2

1.1

1.2

2.1

2.2

some random individual research➝

‣ what is an interface? (class notes)
‣ types of sex workers
‣ class notes (Gabrielle)
▶book "Best of >Bizarre<" by Eric Kroll, NOTES;PICTURES ETC.

6 types of sex workers (not all ofc)

5 visual stereotypes (for 19/04, Mark)

no moral values, treated like an object rather than a human being (just gross)

"window ladies"

low class, standing beside the roads, poor

"prostitute" costume

dominatrix costume

costumes are a great way to see the stereotypes about certain groups/ethnicities/jobs (often very offensive)

Notes, Gabrielle's class (16/04)

WHO IS THE USER?, how to design and research an interface (tips and things to keep in mind)

• based on their tastes (eg. likes minimal design)
• stereotypes & connotations (toast ⤍ breakfast)

the collection:
！color code (eg. interactive, user obtains info only, both users benefit from the interactions etc.)

system


human

animal

machine

user


human

human

human

what is an interface? (how it can work, users)

⇆

⟶

⟵

eg.

user can be active or passive, depending on the type of interaction, one side of the interaction (system/user) can for eg. input information, benefiting the other side

other types of interactions could be: give-take (exchange), onesided, content input (creating a platform for artists/creatives/sellers etc.), database (user browses through it and finds information they need)

interface

Individual research based on a book "Best of >Bizarre<" by Eric Kroll

The book is written by a person who was an enthusiast of the fetish art scene and personally knew iconic artists such as John Willie, Eric Stanton or a publisher Irving Klaw.

written notes:

John Willie
→artist, photographer, writer, publisher
→wife: shared the bonding hobby, did photoshoots together, divorced
→habit: took nude bondage photos of his models for his private collection, drew from them, when he was satisfied with the drawings, he painted on clothes
→Miss Maggie - Willie's alter ego? he enjoyed wearing silk stockings - his feminine side showing (perhaps), signed letters to friends with that pseudonim
❞it is bad to bottle up the >bizarre< which, left unexplored, can cause problems❞
❞I don't like extreme cruelty...I simply add as much as is needed to correct disobedience. Discomfort in bondage helps increase the realisation of helplessness.❞
→1961: falls ill, destroys all of his archives
→august 5, 1962 - dies.


→1946 - "Bizarre" is established, 20 issues published until 1957 (move to NYC)


some of Willie's models: Betty Page, Bunny Yeager, Judy Ann Dull, Lorraine Virgil

Irving Klaw - photographer (fetish, bdsm), published erotic comics (by Eric Stanton, Gene Bilbrew, Adolf Ruiz and more)

Steve Ditko - worked with Stan Lee (creator of Spider-Man & Doctor Strange)

Fakir Musafar (Roland Loomis) - publisher of "Body Play", american performance artisr, considered to be one of the founders of modern primitive/urban primitive movement

Gene Bilbrew - african-american cartoonist & "bizarre art" pioneer, "the first black career artist in history", contributed to a comic series by DC Comics; "The Spirit", pseudonimes: ENEG, Van Rod, Bondy

Adolf Ruiz - mexican fetish artist, works published in Irving Klaw's magazines

Edward Mishkin - Times Square bookstore operator, pirated Klaw's magazines

Stanley Malkin - ???, publisher?, order by mail seller, "questionable repute", mysterious persona

the Sturman Brothers - Joe S. - publisher of "Satans Press", Reuben S. - pornographer

R.E.B.
the Manhattanite
Willie
= one of many pseudonimes used in the environment


slaverette - woman as mistress

hydrophilia - "the art of getting wet (water) while being fully clothed"

modern primitive/urban primitive - movement of people from well developped countries who engage in rituals of various body modifications, rites of passage and more, taken from, how they call them, "primitive" cultures.
eg. of body modifications performed: bodily ornamentation, tattooing, piercing, play piercing (enjoying the fact of being pierced rather than the outcome of it), corset training, scarification, branding (burning a mark onto ones' skin), suspension, cutting
the "primitive" actions are taken out of their original cultural contexts specifically to be reinterpreted in a "modern" cultural setting (sounds like plain cultural appropriation......)

magazines:
➝Taboo
➝Wink
➝Exotique
➝Pleasure Parade
➝Satan Press
➝Body Play

books:
➝Modern Primitives by V.Vale
➝The Transformations of Gwen by Eric Kroll




-stockings
-high heels (6 inches>)
-bows
-frills
-corsets
-gartiers
-ankle straps
-rope
-leather
-gloves
-gags
-tight-fitting skirts
-high waisted lingerie
-bonded arms (behind the body)
-high boots, tight fitting
-posture training corsets etc.
-lined stockings (eg. one line on the back of the leg, all the way from heel to the top)



➝the fetish scene is more art-oriented than I initially thought, it thrived because of the erotic art, fueled the sexual, bonding (and other) fantasies of the adult comic books and magazines readers, as well as providing with new ideas, thanks to the artists, who fleshed them out
➝bdsm field is surprisingly not as sexual act focused as I thought - the whole point of it is the performance, costumes and consensual acts between people
➝the fetish, bonding etc. art rarely depicts an actual sexual or even romantic (eg. kissing) acts
➝a lot of the motives from the bdsm and fetish community transferred into the mainstream culture
eg.: very high heels, fishnets, pencil skirts, corsets, harnesses, piercings, tattoos, queer community, subcultures (though these 2 aren't that mainstream) - to name a FEW
➝motives also seen in popculture
eg.: super heroes aesthetics, fashion, illustrations and art in general, magic performances scene, movies, music videos, PIN-UP(!) - to again name a FEW

typed notes (the most important parts of the traditionally written ones):

sketches based on the illustrations from the book

VISUAL KEYS

conclusions/thoughts

= research about user group (+ 105 interfaces" assignment link)