Arse Elektronika Linz 2023

Talks

Arse Elektronika: Sex, Tech and the Future of Screw-It-Yourself
Keynote by head of festival, Johannes Grenzfurthner
From the depiction of a vulva in a cave painting to the newest VR gonzo porn, technology and sexuality have always been closely linked. New technologies are quick to appeal to pornography consumers, and thus these customers represent a profitable market segment for the suppliers of new products and services.
Currently, all factors show that high-tech developments owe a great deal of their success to the need for further sexual stimulation. One could cite the example provided by the science fiction concept of a full-body interface designed to produce sexual stimulation. But it isn’t science fiction anymore. It’s DIY.
As bio-hacking, sexually enhanced bodies, genetic utopias, and plethora of gender have long been the focus of literature, science fiction and, increasingly, pornography, this year will see us explore the possibilities that fictional and authentic bodies have to offer. Our world is already way more bizarre than our ancestors could have ever imagined. But it may not be bizarre enough. “Bizarre enough for what?” you might ask. Bizarre enough to subvert the heterosexist matrix that is underlying our world and that we should hack and overcome for some quite pressing reasons within the next century.
Don’t you think, replicants?

Love Tester Machines. Media Archeology of Sexual Appeal
by Ania Malinovska
This talk presents a cultural study of love tester machines – the first psychologically-informed automata used for estimating the romantic and sexual match between people – to reflect on the psychological categories and cultural criteria of sexual attractiveness and compatibility. It is based on field research carried out in the United States where the original LTMs (and their replicas) can be still found in museums and in private collections and pertains to technological imageries as well as sociocultural and psychological discourses on sexual harmony to map the development of algorithmically monitored attraction and appeal.

Copy-Paste Hentai!
by The Big Tiddy Oni-Chan Collective and Ekaterina Osipova
The workshop Copy Paste Hentai! lets visitors dive into the world of Hentai: featuring fantastical anatomies and cheeky imaginaries, Hentai hold the potential to break through boundaries of normative sex. Yet in online culture around them, we often see Hentai reproducing and reifying gendered, misogynistic and other clichés. From woodcut printing to neural networks and the internet, humans have always been creating and disseminating erotic art – what else are we disseminating along with it? Cutting, gluing, writing, drawing, as visitors create their own erotic artwork, we invite them to playfully engage questions about sex, power and shame.

Pleasure Seeker time travel talk — Exploring love, sex, toys and features in future motions
by Claudia Virginia Dimoiu and Wenzel Mehnert.
How do the ever-evolving landscapes of climate change, the growing sense of solitude in our cities, increasing mobility, workload and the relentless progress of technology shape our deep connections?
Which unexpected advancements might transform into delightful instruments of passion, and what exquisite pleasures might those instruments unlock?
We invite you to embark on a journey into future realms, where we unveil a collection of artefacts fantasized to inspire (or not) and further define the art of love and lovemaking.

The Future of Social Sextech
by Mahalia Henry-Richards & Abel Enklaar
This talk delves into the burgeoning realm of the future of social sextech. It commences by introducing our creative collective ‘Bloom’, while also highlighting the research backgrounds that underpin our exploration. The concept of social sextech will be examined, encompassing its historical context. Privacy, ownership, and security considerations are also addressed within this domain. Next, we present our design mission, outlining our objectives and goals in shaping the future of social sextech. Lastly, we delve into speculation about the future, recognizing the growing prominence of non-human interactions resulting from increased networking, nature, and advancements in AI technology.

Technology as a Resistance Tool Against Sexual Norms — Chance or Exclusion?
by maiz, Nina Comtessa, sugar pa! and Damijan Stranner Through discussion and performance, maiz and its invited guests will engage with issues such as self-determination, gender, sex, desire, sexuality, relationships, work, and technology. Through the lens of intersectionality, decolonization, and outside of patriarchal heteronormativity, we aim to question the universalization of experiences propagated by dominant discourses.
Using words, metaphors, and art, we will address the question of who speaks about our experiences and for whom we speak, as well as what kind of knowledge is valued and recognized beyond the hegemonic Euro- and human-centered perspective, which bases its profit on the domination of nature and bodies. In this regard, we ponder the role of technology in contributing to the dominant utilitarian order, as well as the cracks through which marginalized bodies and other beings can pursue their well-being, in the sense of Quechuan Sumak kawsa, and their autonomy.
Performance by Uýra

The Fab lab Cable Orgy Playbook
A fab lab is full of interconnected electric cables referred to in binary gendered terms. These expressions are highly problematic as they reduce the complex and nuanced concept of gender to a mere relationship of penetration. In the lecture performance “The Fab lab Cable Orgy Playbook”, Noam Youngrak Son explores how these gendered terms can be critically appropriated. If cables are personified as gendered subjects mating through their connectors, how can we interpret their sexuality in a more deviant way? How can we discover more queer joy in the fab lab and utilize its openness for non-binary creativity?

Eros, Ethics, and Cyborg Identity in Virtual Space
by Quill Kukla and Dan Steinberg
We can inhabit personas online that are quite different from our everyday selves, and erotically engage others in these personas. Although these identities can be merely deceptive or ‘fake,’ we can also create online identities for roleplay, or test out a new identity such as a new gender or sexual orientation; we can also extend and multiply our identities, and become digital cyborg selves. Erotically engaging others while inhabiting virtual personas creates new opportunities for sexual exploration and agency. We need to articulate ethical terms of engagement for such scenarios. What constitutes deception or authenticity in such encounters? How do we build trust, protect privacy, and avoid exploitation when we play in erotic virtual space?

Beyond the Cleftal Horizon: Generative AI Porn for Diversity, Inclusion, and Empowerment
by Stefan Lutschinger
This research explores the potential of generative AI technology in the context of adult content, specifically pornography, to foster diversity, inclusion, and empowerment.
The talk reveals how traditional adult entertainment often perpetuates stereotypes and limited representations, reinforcing societal biases and marginalising certain communities. By leveraging generative AI algorithms, we can develop a new paradigm of adult content creation that embraces diversity and empowers underrepresented individuals.
The workshop delves into the technical aspects, ethical considerations, and social implications of employing generative AI for more inclusive and empowering adult entertainment experiences. It encourages dialogue about the responsible use of AI technology to promote sexual diversity and social progress.

Peaches & Cream
by Jasmin Hagendorfer & Thomas Kranabetter
Peaches & Cream, a groundbreaking platform, empowers a societal revolution in body positivity and sexuality. It merges creativity, engagement, and innovation by enabling project initiators to present and fund their ideas, forging new movements and bringing communities together. The revolutionary and sustainable projects on Peaches & Cream facilitate personal enjoyment, self-discovery, and exploration of body and sexuality.

Introduction to the history of oral sex
by Daniel Bierdümpfl , Maximilian Josef Modl and Susanne von Floreschy-Weinfeld
Have you ever wondered when in history the first ever oral sex happened?
Was it fellatio or cunnilingus? Was it for pleasure or ritual? Are humans the only ones to do it?
The history of fellatio and cunnilingus reaches back as far as the possibility to write and paint, to the possibility of history itself.
Deep dive into the absurdity of the history of oral sex. Or maybe just dip your toe if you prefer feet to tongue.