I Can’t Get No Satisfaction

My video and photography series are part of a critical fine art project that reflecon the endless consumption of indigestible material and cultural products. My work uses pornography asa metaphor , focusing mainly on its online and freely accessible, “cheap” version, seen as a symbol of the consumer society generating itself, that always wants more, and can never be satisfied.

Pornography is used as a metaphor, because 85% of internet traffic is sex-related. While the most popular search term remains “sex”, irrespective of language, surveys indicate that one fourth of all Internet searches are targeted at some form of sexual content. In the United States, the porn industry generates more profit than Microsoft, Google or eBay. According to a study, the effect of porn on the nervous system is similar to that of cocaine, in that those exposed to pornography for an extended period want more and more, and will move on to more extreme material.

It is well known that overuse of the Internet is an addiction that is specific to the turn of the millenium. The Internet allows for interaction, discussion and games in such a way that the individual’s identity may remain hidden, leading to the formation of faceless communities. This presents an opportunity to escape from reality. Specifically, some of the Internet’s characteristics play a key role in Internet addiction. One such characteristic is its ease of access, as nothing stands in the way of the individual seeking to instantly fulfill his/her desires. The situation is similar with regard to sexual content, which may be accessed in such a way as to circumvent any social conventions of past or present that relate to sexual expression. Therapists dealing with pornography addiction claim that these addicts behave just like those with other addictions. One of the most important characteristics of pornography addiction, which is similar to drug addiction, is that addicts need more and more “doses” to reach the desired state. In the case of pornography, this means that addicts require more, and more extreme, material to reach the same level of excitement.

In a way, this is true of any material goods that people own: they always want more, better, bigger and more exciting. The term “consumer society” generally speaking, refers to a society where the number of goods and services is continually growing, and their consumption is (one of) the consensually accepted goals and motivations of life. In fact, for many, consumption is their main motivation. Furthermore, it refers to a society where the majority of social structures and mechanisms are related to consumer behavior and consumer structures. Internet has a strong effect on the structure of cultural consumption as well. Since it is “free”, users can easily look into and try many different things. On the one hand, this may lead to a wider perspective and newly found interests, and thereby to consumer mobility. On the other hand, this same ease of access results in shallowness and the following of trends. Cultural products are tasted, consumed, quickly digested and excreted, just like a good meal.

Those who tend to use the term critically condemn these societies and call for change. I consider my project belonging to this group.

This phenomenon is the focus of my art project. It consists of a “pornfilm” shot in 3D, conceived of in a way as to be completely detached from reality, as well as large diasec prints. The film was shot in greenbox, and the female actor is also dressed entirely in greenbox color. This way, I was able to subsequently digitally remove her, along with the background. What remains is the male actor, making love to “nothing”. In a way, he is making love to desired or already acquired, seen or heard goods, in a 3-4 minute film. The film is looped, signifying that he can never satisfy his desire.

The project also contains large diasec prints, on which one of the two actors is digitally removed, leaving only abstract fragments of the body. he void is filled by our imagination, thereby imitating and turning inside out the lonely and detached desire and fantasy that accompanies the viewing of porn films. In one group of my photos the object of desire  is replaced with different consumer products, and events, and advertisements and cultural products that were once determinative. In the other group of them euphemism of the advertisements, that is, their erotic and sexual references are taken literally using real porno scenes instead of imitation or substitutes.

I would like to continue and complete this project. Photography and film shooting is complete, however the editing of shots and background, lighting and subtitle production remain, all of which need to be done twice, and perfectly identically, when dealing with 3D films. I am progressing well with the photographs, but these will also require post-editing in order to be complete. I have already begun this, and can continue in parallel to editing the film.

Luca Gőbölyös, DLA