ANNIE SPRINKLE, POST PORN MODERNIST, 1993
Post Porn Modernist, 1993, streaming video (98 min., 3 sec.) : sd., col.
Post Porn Modernist chronicles Annie Sprinkle's careers as a sex worker, pro-sex activist, and artist. Sprinkle begins with her transformation from Ellen Steinberg to Annie Sprinkle, an act that prompted her sexual revolution. In this process of becoming, Sprinkle critiques patriarchal ideals of female sexuality and second-wave feminist anti-porn agendas. While critical of the male gaze, Sprinkle engages the gesture by posing on her own terms and affirming her sexual pleasure to re-appropriate the gaze throughout the performance. She provides a playful critique of the National Endowment for the Arts, alluding to her exhibit Carnival Knowledge (1984) presented by Franklin Furnace, which was reprimanded by the federal agency for its feminist pornographic content. Sprinkle discusses the labor politics of the sex work industry and her close relationships to clients, some of whom were disabled, lesbian, transgender, or gay men with HIV/AIDS. During the AIDS epidemic, Sprinkle focused her sex work on developing new practices such as the breath orgasm, a technique created with Barbara Carrellas, which allowed those infected with the disease to experience pleasure without having intercourse. This shift in Sprinkle’s work prompted the transformation of Annie into Anya, a persona who embodies the sacred energy of ancient goddess prostitutes. Post Porn Modernist was intended to be part of Franklin Furnace’s ‘History of the Future’ (1999) netcast on Pseudo Programs, Inc.’s The Performance Channel (www.channelp.com); however, the corporation went bankrupt during the height of the culture wars leaving the performance footage dormant until published in full length by HIDVL in 2015. - NYU