There I was in a room jammed with people, surrounded
by gizmos and gadgets — everything from nipple tassles and condoms to books of
erotic literature.
It was the reception of the opening of the Museum’s
edgy new exhibit: Sex Talks in the City.
People milled about, wine glasses in hand, and browsed the display cases
of curios, some dating to the turn-of-the-century. It had been suggested to
wear something red, so many of the women were tarted up in red dresses, some
with up-dos reminiscent of the 30’s and ‘40’s. Even a few men wore ‘costumes’
suitable for the evening. As it is the
Lunar New Year, I thought it appropriate to wear my embroidered red silk Chinese
jacket and black velvet pants.
The aim of the Museum is to normalize conversations
about sexuality through photos, intimate artifacts and question. One room
contains a series of dresser drawers that hold a variety of sex toys, burlesque
attire and even some 19950’s mail-order ‘men’s physiques’ pamphlets. One drawer
that amused me contained a ‘baby’ (doll) wrapped in a blanket. It seems that
one person had told the story of how, when they were a child, they had come
home from school one day and discovered a new-born baby in their parent’s
bedroom dresser drawer. The baby had been born while the child was at school
and because they lacked a proper cradle or crib, the mother had places her
newborn in the drawer. From that time until they were an adult, the child
thought babies came from inside drawers! (That would definitely be more
comfortable than under a cabbage in the cabbage patch!)
Many of these intimate artifacts were once taboo
topics but these days they are being talked about openly. The aim of the
exhibit is to normalize these conversations between young and old. The exhibit
is contained in three rooms, divided between different motifs and topics from
the classroom, the streets and to the bedroom, representing everything from
Vancouver’s sex trade to teen sexting.
Vancouver Police "rap" sheets, circa turn of the century
One exhibit I found interesting is a wall full of
‘rap’ sheets with photos taken of prostitutes, johns and anyone found in
brothels or selling illegal liquor back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s in
Vancouver. Most of the women ranged in age from 17 to 65. Many of the men were
Asian or black indicating some racial profiling at that time. In the ‘classroom section’, near the display
of electric “body massagers” were desks scrawled with questions about birth
control asked by students from Grades 4 – 12. An adjoining display explores the
phenomena of teens exchanging intimate messages and photos on-line and by
texting.
Anything you want to know about homosexuality is
there for you to see and read about. One
of the drawers contained a rubbery artificial penis used by a trans-gendered
person who might want to pee standing up like a man! Another display case has creepy, kinky sex
tools including a hideous mask and whips. It seems there’s a fairly good-sized
community of “Kinks” in the city!
Code words used by "Kinks" to indicate the sex-play has gone too far
Kinky sex anyone? (pretty scary!)
“Sex Talk in the City” explores the changing
attitudes towards sex and sexuality in Vancouver. It’s a brave, new concept for
a Museum to chronicle topics that have been taboo in the past. Sex education’s
evolution is highlighted at the exhibit. Sex-education videos from the 1980’s
are there for visitors to view. There’s also a copy of Asha’s Mums, a book
about growing up with lesbian parents, banned by the Surrey school board until
2002. And books purchased by the Little Sister’s Bookstore that have been
confiscated at the US border.
I couldn’t help but wonder how many other museums
would be brave enough to present such an intimate display. Certainly none in
those Bible-belt areas of the southern USA.
This display is bound to prompt discussion. There’s a lot there to talk
about, and even to laugh, at making learning about sex less uncomfortable.
The exhibit runs until September 2, 2013. Go and see for yourselves! There’s always
something new to learn.
museumofvancouver.ca/sextalk
Twitter:@museumofvan
