I live in Bay area, land of art, sexual experimentation, and entrepreneurial spirit. Since I’ve moved here I’ve explored the boundaries between public and private sex in multiple ways – at the back of a pickup on Twin Peaks, within the woods through the Sutro Baths, with a bike-powered sex machine in the middle of Folsom Street Fair, inside a coffin in SOMA for Arse Elektronika. So what can I say? I love to experiment. Novelty is, for me, particularly sexy.
When I began to listen to stories in regards to a Hook-Up Truck that will travel to you, provide a secret discreet space to fool around, and even film it for you personally through a little peephole if you gave consent, I needed to learn more. I had been fascinated by the Half hour time period limit (strictly enforced) and curious about the impetus that led to its creation. When I discovered that I was friends using the artist involved (we met in a life-sized MouseTrap game), I knew I needed to interview her.
And so, I sat down with Spy Emerson, creator of the Hook-Up Truck, to ask her about her inspiration, her artistic vision, and why her project is blowing up all over the internet.
Kitty Stryker: What inspired you to definitely create this Hook-Up Truck project? A lot of roommates inside a Bay Area apartment? I understand the housing situation is dire, and walls can be pretty thin.
Spy Emerson: It’s funny you mention housing, because which was the focus of my last project, Dystopic Horizons Realty. I sold cardboard box “homes” to individuals via a fake “Real Estate company.” Similar to the Hook-Up Truck, both projects are social commentaries, presented as businesses.
With the Hook-Up Truck, I recognized a chance when hearing stories of individuals having public sex. I thought about making a mobile hotel room. The intention would be a participatory performance art project with an intrinsic statement regarding the commodification of, attitudes toward, and media representation of SEX. I imagined taking advantage of the growing trend of geosocial networking applications aimed at location based sexual connections while promoting safe sex and self expression. I never ever expected I would gain a worldwide following!
I’ve discover the Hook-Up Truck in all types of places:?Blazenfluff, Glamour, TIME, the Bold Italic, Bay area Chronicle, even Medical Daily! Why do you think your idea has had off so expansively and in a wide variety of areas of media?
Well, I think there are many causes of the huge interest. Sex is super unifying. It physically brings two people together, it is one thing that each single human person shares. Initially conception, and again in adult coupling, sex profoundly affects all of our individual lives, and is innately connecting us all. So, sex as a subject is always likely to gain interest – and sex sells. Media featuring a story on sex will gain interest from the public!
But something else in the great successes of the project, I had been inspired by a friend who reminds me, “Spy, every day life is disappointingly simple.” This excellent insight has influenced my work during the last 2 yrs, and i believe the Hook-Up Truck is really simple that it’s brilliant. Smart people get it, and therefore are very looking forward to what I’m doing.
Medical Daily centered on the safer sex and consent aspects of the work, that we think is fairly cool. I can understand why you provide safer sex barriers, but speak with me a little more concerning the decision not to let people who are “aggressive, loud, rude or intoxicated.”
I imagine people should be kinder to each other, and much more respectful to the world we live in. I’m happy to create an environment with this social experiment that’s underscored by love, and when someone is rude, they are not invited to play. Privileged people can not buy their way in with anything apart from mutual respect. Being friendly is really a currency. I’m all about it!! I had been from New england cities, I am a Ny Italian. For years I was fighting and angry, and then I found California and also over years of self discovery I believed out how to love more and hate less. I turned off my TV in the 90’s, I don’t look at newspapers or magazines, and I only started online regularly in December. I’ve avoided the conditioning to hate and instead encourage people to love one another. I can’t require kindness in the rules to the Hook-Up Truck, however i can change anyone away.
A lot of media continues to be drawn to the truth that this is a truck for sexyfuntimes. I think it’s interesting that there’s a camera-ready option- sort of a search for privacy and surveillance, public sex versus private sex and where they intersect. Talk to me regarding your artist statement – am I on the right track?
Yes! This is a game for adults to experience with their mind and body, it’s intended to be fun. The area being decontextualized, in a truck, in the pub is extremely thrilling in addition to the pleasure of the sex. Utilizing a camera is just another step for the daring (and consenting!) to make as much of the knowledge as possible. It really is whatever you want so that it is.
I’m also totally fascinated by your statement in your about page the Hook-Up Truck facilitates discussions about “biased notions of germs and sluts.” I have been carrying out a lot of writing against AB 1576, an invoice mandating condoms for porn performers, which i think talks to similar biases and fears. Please talk more about this!
Some from the articles discussed The Hook-Up Truck, and many from the comments from people, are exclamations of disgust regarding concerns within the cleanliness from the room, or slut shaming me. So why do these people think sex is dirty, and bold women are sluts? Because misconceptions are cultivated to control people. Sadly, people are so concerned about how clean our meeting room is, yet no one is referring to how clean the service station toilets are! Let alone the actual news issues, like the child labor that made our sneakers, or the animal torture of factory farming, or even the global environmental crisis that should be eclipsing almost every other concern. But no. The hater-nation is stuck within their petty misconceptions.
Well, not terribly surprising, considering a lot of our media is a diversion from actual issues, right? SIGH. Anyway, my last real question is that 30 minutes appears like an especially certain quantity of time. It isn’t a significant quickie, but additionally not quite a full on sex session. What made you compromise on the half an hour?
The time was specified to allow for the environmental adjustments one should get comfortable, and then a good wham-bam thank you ma’am!! Really, 30 minutes is just perfect inside a room that feels like a mixture of a childhood fort, and a strip club.
*****
I have not yet gotten an opportunity to try out the Hook-Up Truck yet, but they’re taking bookings for that summer and you can bet I’ll be giving it a go. I might have arranged two hot dates already – not too I’m eager or anything! Maybe this is the the nudge I have to check out Tinder – having a neutral spot for a sexytimes test run is amazing. Then I can decide if I would like these to know where I live, based on their, erm, “performance”-
Spy is also seeking sponsors for that Hook-Up Truck so she can allow it to be much more incredible, with trucks in a number of major cities. Maybe there is more art inside? Different furniture, perhaps? I can’t wait to discover. Potential sponsors and art patrons can contact Spy via [email protected]!