Artists, troublesome folk that they often are, take their explorations into the darkest recesses of human activity, and the sex industry has proved to be as ripe an area for artistic enquiry as any other, notes Andrew Brown.
Artists can bring fresh minds and approaches to bear on complex and intractable issues and have, in the work of Annie Sprinkle and others, bridged a conceptual gap between art and porn. To some extent, artists could be seen to have contributed to the general rehabilitation of the sex industry in contemporary Britain.
While artists may not lead society, they are invariably in the vanguard of debate, and Nottingham is blessed with many. The contemporary arts course at Nottingham Trent University is partly responsible for providing a base for radical arts activity and well-educated practitioners graduate each year from the course. The NOW, eXpo and NOTT dance festivals are longstanding examples of the city?s cultural diversity and speak volumes about the demand within the city for provocative as well as thought-provoking and entertaining work. Although local media coverage has not always been of an enlightened nature, broadly speaking, Nottingham seems to be a place of comparative tolerance and a place where creative experimentation is given support.
Ironic perhaps that whilst artists have been making connections between art and porn, bureaucrats at Nottingham City Council have inadvertently made the very same connections via an ill-considered amendment to the city?s licensing laws.
Responding to the growth of lap dancing clubs and what is argued to be their negative effect upon vulnerable people, not to mention the city?s reputation, the council has drafted clauses intended to prevent such clubs from being able to gain a foothold in Nottingham.
?Displays that include nudity or sexual performance of any kind are prohibited?, states the licence, unequivocally. This policy has proved a success, with a proposed club near the train station having been prevented from obtaining a licence.
The knock-on effects, however, have been unfortunate. Whilst theatres have licences which allow for public nakedness, no such freedoms exist for those who work in non-theatrical spaces. Site-specific work, or simply one-off events, can be among the most exciting, as art is shown in novel surroundings to a potentially wider audience than would be likely to attend traditional theatre. In the case of the influential and internationally acclaimed artists Jerome Bel and La Ribot, both of whom appeared at the NOTT Dance Festival in spring 2001, Nottingham Trent University?s Bonington Gallery was the setting for both performances. Both artists use the naked human body in ways that, while being provocative, are in no way gratuitous or pornographic. Both events required the granting of a temporary licence by the licensing sub-committee, which came with strings attached ? no access to under 18s, registered door supervisors and the display of warning signs. The result of such conditions upon a piece of art not only detract from the integrity of the artwork but also betray an over-paternalistic legislature that undermines its credibility with the mature, educated people who comprise the audience.
The council has also put itself into a position where it can be accused by would-be lap dance club owners of double standards by granting licences for art and not for porn. The local media, often with a sensationalist agenda, have had a field day over the issue, and the impetus behind Nottingham?s drive to be seriously considered as a modern centre of culture has been knocked back.
Andrew Brown is the Manager of the experimental theatre company Reckless Sleepers. e: andrew@reckless-sleepers.co.uk