Panoptica | Polly Barton (UK): Pornchat

An. Oral. History.

Polly joins them at Panoptica to interrogate societal taboos and deconstruct the dichotomy of porn as either “good” or “bad”. Ever-present yet rarely discussed, porn is shielded in silence as though we have all made a silent pact to turn our heads from acknowledging it.

Panoptica is a coming together of curious minds to explore the full spectrum of the human experience in all its splendour, complexity and contradiction.

“‘Is porn good or bad?’ is not even a coherent question, let alone an answerable one. It would be like asking ‘Is sex good or bad?’” muses Polly.

For writer and literary translator Polly Barton, porn was a source of nebulous worry and discomfort. It was exactly this silence and discomfort that inspired her to spend a year initiating intimate conversations with 19 acquaintances about everything related to porn.

These conversations, documented in her second book Porn: An Oral History, touch on everything from watching habits, to preferred camera angles and fetishes. For the most part, however, they revolve around questions of interpersonal dynamics – shame, embarrassment, jealousy – and, of course, ethics.

Presented by Brisbane Powerhouse in partnership with major partner QUT, Word Christchurch and The Wheeler Centre