‘How can we create safe, exploratory kink spaces?’
9/9
The assessment got over and went well, and on 4/9 I went to TFB x East, and there were so many people which got a bit overwhelming for me, but I still met some new people and talked to them and also with some people I already knew, I decided to take a break for the weekend and then focus on the upcoming collaborations and interventions, and brainstorm a couple of ideas for pinky promise’s event pitch and that has been going well, as well as updating Eunice on the framework for the upcoming workshop too.
I was able to get some perspective from a tutor on how to curate and experience, and how it would relate to my project and some possible ideas which I could develop and work on and I am looking forward to it.
5 things I want to convey/feel
- Sensual
- Playful
- Safe
- Fluid
- Freeflowing
Theme is sensual sci-fi
Ice breakers:
- Sensual Bingo: Create bingo cards with fun and unique traits or experiences (e.g., “Talk about a kink/fetish you want to try,” “Have used food in a scene,” “Has/is in a power dynamic“). People have to move around and find people who fit each square. They have to get a full line (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally). This encourages everyone to interact with a wide range of people.
- Cybernetic Chemistry: Participants are given a scenario where they are futuristic beings interacting for the first time, exploring their desires with one another. They can exchange dialogue in character, based on prompts like: “You are an android designed to sense human emotions through touch” or “You can send signals of attraction through the nails.”
Aside from this I should go back and see from my previous interventions which activities have helped people connect and engage better, and some inspiration from children/teenage icebreakers, but I also want this experience to be more than interesting ice-breakers, I want to take it further than helping people talk to one another, possibly like a scavenger hunt together, so here I think the format of foreplay-peak-aftercare helps, because this is possibly what I want people to feel, look for a similar partner, do an activity to bond/explore and also reflect on it (which also gives me feedback/review and a way to measure the impact of the activity)
Pleasure Hunt:
Step 1: Each participant is assigned a planet or celestial body at the door/entrance, based off describing themselves in one word for (e.g., “Venus is known for its warm, calming winds, which induce a trance-like relaxation”). Afterward, they have to match with someone who is the same planet, and they come back to go to the next steps on the hunt.
Step 2: Design a gear system which randomly connects words to form an activity to do on-spot, this can be repeated many number of times. (Can be modified to be prompts to play/ during playtime)
How do I approach people:
- Introduce myself
- Ask them if they’re with a friend or by themselves
- Ask them if it’s their first time or if they’ve been there before
- Ask if I can sit with them (sometimes)
- Ask them if they’re from London or not, and whereabouts are they from, and share the same information!
- Ask them what they do, since they usually ask what I moved here for, which is my MA, and start talking about something in common!
12/9
- Lunar Lanes: Participants roll a dice and hop the number shown and land on different letters placed within the squares. From here, they need to announce a kink they haven’t done, but are willing to beginning with that letter before putting their leg down. For example, “d”: I have never tried degradation.
- Starlight Temptation: Have the participants sit in a circle for this activity and have each of them try to make the other one laugh.One(A) of them must use props, funny faces, silly dances, and goofy gestures to get them to laugh, and the one who laughs first will be punished by A.
Pleasure hunt
Step 3: Participants will be given sheets and pen, and can sit in a cozy nook to relax and reflect on their experience by themselves or with their partner(s)
I also realise I have to focus on engaging all five senses throughout the experience is also important to provide a sensual experience, in terms of smell, taste, touch, sight as well as hearing, and I have to figure out how to actually incorporate these sensory elements, but this requires further discussion with the organisers as well, and what I can do in terms of creating a sensory experience as well!
I have to ask about dimensions, furniture availability, accessibility needs, as well as budget which is also important and something to be mindful about!
On the other hand, I noticed that my method of connecting with new people works in kink spaces, but when I employed it at a pub, it didn’t work as much which leads me to believe that people in kink spaces are naturally more explorative or the nature is, and so naturally approaching someone works in a space which is explorative and most people aim to meet other people like them!
13/9
As I was scrolling through Instagram, I saw an comedy improv reel, where two people say one word and it becomes a story, which I thought would be a fun game for people to do.
So another game: Gravity Shift. Participants of 2 or more, start with a random and in the span of 60secs, have to improv words based off what the other person has said to form a sentence/paragraph, without stopping!
A little intense one which I have developed based off Star Wars, since that’s one of the scifi I have watched, which is based off the Jedi mind control and the Force acting together to persuade the subject into giving them information
Jedi Mind Trick:One partner (the Jedi) must try to “mind-trick” their partner (the subject) into performing sensual acts or answering intimate questions. The twist is that they must do so using soft, persuasive language, like, “You want to kiss me,” or “You will tell me your deepest desire.” The subject can playfully resist but must eventually give in to the mind trick after some light persuasion.
I also have to make a moodboard to capture the vibe I want and the aesthetics as well as develop the prompts and designs for each game. I am going to take inspiration from their event poster for the colour palette.
Funny thing, I am looking for pictures to transform to put in my moodboard, and when I type ‘sensory space’ on Pinterest, I get a lot of apt pictures, but ‘sci-fi space’ or ‘sensual space’ did not work, although they’re leading in a way to inspire game names, but all of the ‘sensory space’ which is my vision for this interactive experience are found in designing spaces for people with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) which is surprising, since these are also considered to be a sensory experience.
14/9
Today, Charmskool house is hosting an art&fetish event at the start of LFW, and there are so many vendors and artists showcasing at the event, but I am unable to go since I am working a part-time job at the same time as well, and I feel so mad and frustrated about it since this event would’ve been a good time for me to connect with various vendors and understand their EDI policies and product diversity in the kink sector. I sold the tickets to a friend of mine, hopefully they have a good time, but I genuinely feel sad about it since I don’t think they’re doing another and it’d have been a good networking opportunity.
19/9
Recently, I had gone to Riposte, which is a queer art rave which is mostly a queer rave with artists showcasing their work and performing, as well as a small playroom, which didn’t have any Bdsm furniture or equipment, and mostly couches and a small room at the venue, but it was understandable since it is mostly a queer rave with artists performing and showcasing their work.
On a side note, I was able to finish my pitch to PinkyPromise for their interactive experience which will give me a way to test how products work in helping people explore and connect, and there is one idea I am biased upon which is the pleasure since it goes beyond ice breakers and helps in doing rather than talking, which are both important, but the funny bit is that our festival planning is multiverse themed and the pitch was sensual sci-fi themed and so there was a bit of overlap with the both and it was honestly quite interesting and fun to see how two completely different ideas in different contexts, and spaces can have overlaps and connections.
In other action or plans to be implemented, I have reached out to Eunice Hung for a collaboration, but I haven’t gotten back a response from her, but I am still going to go ahead and plan the workshop as intended for the second week of October (if pinky promise happens) otherwise first week of October, and I have to make a checklist of items and people to gather and contact for this workshop as well. My main challenge here is to make it affordable for people to sign up so that there’s a good majority of people coming in as well as brand it in a way to portray it’s inclusive nature as well! But I also have a restriction since it is a workshop with crafting and I would require to organise and purchase materials and this would mean I need an organised and set list of people who’ll be coming in!
I personally have a good feeling about both the upcoming collaborations, and I have reached out to Enhance, an organisation which works with disabled people, and also have toys designed to suit needs, and I am hoping to talk to them soon and see what they say!
On second thoughts, I should reach out to companies and organisations on Instagram since mails don’t seem to work anymore.
I do see a strong potential in trying to solve disability problems in terms of bdsm gear and garments, and alongside have workshops to promote exploration and so on, that’d actually be quite innovative I hope, and I am closing down the Kink EDI survey and I have 15 responses and let’s see how that goes, analysing and interpreting the data!
For the hotrod project, I want to do something which is the opposite of the box of uncertainties, and so I am going to do something like puzzle and evidence style so that it the opposite of uncertainty but also leaves some room for missing pieces
Overall, I do feel pretty good about how the project is headed, and I feel like I’m out of the ‘strictly research and reading’ phase to the more ‘let’s do it’ phase and actually applying a lot of different skills and knowledge in action right now, which feels so fulfilling and satisfying, but also a tad bit stressful, because with so many ideas and interventions and stakeholders, management of time and people is hectic, and managing to go to events to be updated on events in the community is also important!