NEW YORK CITY—In-between remembering how and why this country was founded—you know, all that Bill of Rights stuff—sometimes people just want to have a little fun during their July 4th holiday weekend—and New York's Museum of Sex (MoSEX) has got your number!
The Museum has brought over, thanks to our former enemies the British, "Funland: Pleasures & Perils of the Erotic Fairground," an art installation by London-based conceptual artist duo Bompas & Parr. Funland features a selection of “carnival attractions” for audiences to enjoy and experience while they contemplate the sexual subtext of carnivals.
The immersive exhibition, which was commissioned by the Museum of Sex, features five “attractions” designed to stimulate all five senses in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways. Physical, visual and olfactory experiences are utilized to give the audience a rush of endorphins (which the artists claim are similar to those released at the point of orgasm), challenge their strength and agility, and allow them to compete with and impress friends and lovers, as well as other patrons.
Amongst the interactive experiences, visitors are invited to jump high in “Jump for Joy,” a moonbounce made of giant, over-sized breasts; scale a wall of orifices and appendages in “Grope Mountain”; and lose themselves in “The Tunnel of Love,” a mirrored labyrinth that leads patrons on a climactic journey to the Gräfenberg (or “G”) Spot, all while listening to a custom carnival soundscape by composer Dom James and tempted by edible treats designed by Bompas & Parr.
To illustrate the rich history of fairground eroticism and to help provide the cultural context for this exhibition, Bompas & Parr have collaborated with Professor Vanessa Toulmin, Director of the UK National Fairground Archive. To learn more about the historical context behind this exhibition, please read Toulmin’s essay, "As Graceful As They Were Disgraceful: Eroticism and the Fairground."
Anyway, if you're anywhere near New York City, this appears to be one of the better ways to spend your July 4th weekend. Tickets are available here (just don't ask us why there are two different prices).
