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Sex Talk in the City, one of the current exhibitions at the Museum of Vancouver, is nearing its end. After many years of planning, input from an advisory committee of 18, fantastic design by Propellor Design, and some inspiring feedback, we will certainly be sad to see it go.
As you can imagine, taking on such a controversial topic was no piece of cake. We anticipated some push back, and certainly some of our visitors are waiting for the next special exhibition. But we also engaged in an intensive qualitative research project to look at what the experience of visiting the exhibition was for our visitors who did come. The results were inspiring, and in this season of pride, definitely made us feel good that we took on this difficult conversation.
"When I first heard of this exhibit, I was sceptical of this topic as an exhibit. And then it came to me as I was approaching the entrance of the museum. Of course it is appropriate; this is about Vancouver. This is about Vancouver looking at its sexuality and how people have come to make it a more open aspect of being human and living in Vancouver." - 70 year old visitor from the Gulf Islands
Near this end point of the exhibition, curator Viviane Gosselin did an extensive interview with Kierra Jones for Muse Magazine. Below are some of her thoughts on Sex Talk in the City, and why you should visit before it closes on September 2.
Do you think it is important for museums to engage in dialogue about sexuality, as a means of detracting from the sex industry’s agenda/ views?
I am convinced that museum projects, exhibitions and public programs can provide platforms for people to think more critically about the pervasiveness of sexually explicit content in the media and online. One click separates us (and our kids) from over four million adult websites worldwide. It is distressing to think that the average age a child is first exposed to Internet pornography is 11-years old. With millions of adult and fetish sites out there, we are asking visitors to think of the consequences of not discussing pornography with children.
What do you want people to come away with after viewing this exhibition?
It would be wonderful if the exhibition became a catalyst for reflections and conversations that would otherwise never or not easily take place between visitors. I think tourists this summer are in for a treat! Visiting Sex Talk in the City is a bit like getting into the bedroom of Vancouverites; you usually don’t get this intimate with a city you don’t know!
Join us for Redacted Readings, the last Sex Talk in the City event, Thursday, August 8 at 6:00pm.
