The Gorizia Spring School, more formally known as the MAGIS International Film Studies Spring School, has been in existence since 2003. Organised by the University of Udine, Italy, and commonly held at the Gorizia campus, it is arranged for MA students, PhD students and early-career researchers. The School has a number of differing strands, including cinema and visual arts, post-cinema, film heritage and porn studies, which offer inter-disciplinary seminars and workshops presented by leading international scholars. Following the 2014 event, there was some doubt as to whether a future iteration of the School would be feasible, as the traditional stream of funding had dissolved. Fortunately, School coordinator Leonardo Quaresima, was able to secure funding from a consortium of colleagues located at other European academic institutions, enabling the event to be held for its twelfth year.
The Porn Studies strand of the School has been a highly significant strand in developing the academic study of sexual cultures. The organisers should be commended for their commitment to developing this emphasis, particularly when the subject of pornography as a legitimate field of academic enquiry tends to raise eyebrows, induce sniggers and dissent, not just in Italy, but other countries. Academic interrogation of popular culture still remains a minority activity in Italy. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of organisers such as Giovanna Maina, Federico Zecca and Enrico Biasin, there is a wave of very impressive young Italian academics studying subjects such as transnational media fandom, 1960s popular cinema and the teenage reception of pornography. Scholars such as these are continuing to challenge the intellectual hegemony of Italian academia. For the past five years, Maina, Zecca and Biasin have curated the porn studies strand of the Spring School as a space for postgraduate students to engage with issues and debates surrounding pornography, but to also bring together scholars from across the world to present, network and collaborate on projects. The successful Porn Studies journal, edited by Professors Feona Attwood and Clarissa Smith and published by Routledge, was ‘conceived’ during the 2013 edition of the School. On a personal level, I value the event as the most important in my calendar, as it has aided the development of my research career more than any other conference I have attended since commencing my academic journey ten years ago.
Now, as this edition of the Cine-Excess journal is focusing on European erotic cinema, I will focus specifically on the porn studies strand of the School. Each year, there is usually a broad theme, past editions focusing on Eurasian pornography and pornographic audiovisual production in Southern and Eastern Europe. The theme for 2015 focused on the relationships between sex, commerce, media and technology. In total, there were four workshops, the subject of the first being ‘New media and public exposure: the politics, ethics, and discourses of Web 2.0 porn’. Fittingly, the first paper was presented by Professor Clarissa Smith from the University of Sunderland, which shared some of the early findings from Smith’s research into the reception of online pornography, conducted in collaboration with Professors Feona Attwood and Martin Barker. This rich empirical study once again contests many of the assumptions made by the media about the reception of pornography, but also raised interesting questions about how academics might approach the study of fantasy, a sufficient framework not currently existing.
Smith’s paper was followed by two papers presented by PhD students. Using the recent example of ‘The Fappening’, Evangelos Tziallas of Concordia University, questioned the existence of a “pornopticon”, where sex and sexuality and sexuality is controlled by by surveillance technologies and a discourse of security that is proffered by the media. Allesandra Mondin, also from the University of Sunderland, presented the results from her questionnaire based research into feminist pornography audiences, discussing how the dominant mode of consumption is of images, GIFs and videos shared on the blogging platform Tumblr.
The second workshop was titled ‘Researching Vintage Porn’, and was organised by my colleague John Mercer and myself. The purpose of this workshop was to involve the postgraduate students attending the event in identifying issues of debate surrounding vintage pornography, which is becoming an increasingly popular area of academic enquiry. This would form a series of ‘proposal abstracts’ for a possible edited collection on the subject of vintage pornography. To stimulate student thinking, Mercer discussed the concept of the vintage erotic image in relation to the history of gay pornography, highlighting the differing époques of gay porn. I then followed, giving a case study relating to vintage pornography that focused on the recent Blu-Ray restoration of vintage porn film The Opening of Misty Beethoven (Radley Metzger, 1976). I argued that the remediation of the film on differing home video technologies, challenges the way that audiences perceive pornography, the HD restoration of the film allowing for the aesthetic qualities to be appreciated in a way that was not before possible.
Archiving pornography is a subject of growing interest in field, as evidenced by the recent publication Porn Archives by Tim Dean, Steven Ruszczycky and David Squires (2014). The third workshop was devoted to this topic, commencing with a paper by the French filmmaker and author Frédéric Tachou (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), who discussed his new, and much needed, publication Et Le Sexe Entra Dans La Modernite: Photographie Obscene Et Cinema Pornographique Primitif, Aux Origines D'Une Industrie (2014), which considers the emergence of French pornographic photography and film ‘loops’. The two papers that followed this excellent discussion of vintage French erotica were presented by archivists. Firstly, Ronald Simons from Eye Institute in Amsterdam talked about the challenges he faces when archiving the Institute’s collection of pornography and, finally, Paolo Caneppele, from the Österreichisches Filmmuseum in Vienna, presented catalogues and ephemera relating to Austrian pornography taken from the archive he helps to curate. Both papers revealed that pornography is not given the attention other film genres are, often being neglected by archivists for its supposed lack of cultural value. It was encouraging to find that archivists such as Simons and Caneppele are devoting their time and efforts to ensure that their holdings of pornography are being preserved for future access.
The final workshop consisted of papers from the organisers: Giovanna Maina, Federcio Zecca and Federico Biasin from the University of Udine. This workshop gave attention to contemporary US pornography. Maina’s paper was based on the subject of alternative pornographies and how they move from communities to markets, Zecca examined contemporary amateur pornographies while Biasin considered the relationship between film studies and the cultural industry of porn.
In addition to the workshops were a series of separate panels and an evening of screenings. Professor Feona Attwood of Middlesex University, presented an excellent paper that debated the term ‘mainstream’ and its relationship to pornography. Attwood calls for greater attention to what mainstream pornography might consist of, as the mainstream that is oft referred to by the media and campaigners such as Gail Dines appears to differ to the viewing habits of the popular porn tube site PornHub. University of Padua PhD candidate Marco Scarcelli, a last-minute replacement, ably presented preliminary findings from his research into teenage female perceptions of pornography, provoking discussion about research design and ethics. Lynn Comella from the University of Nevada Las Vegas considered the impact of Measure B, a safer sex law introduced in LA that requires performers to use condoms and take other health-related precautions, and how this has led to several porn producers moving production to Las Vegas. Finally, Kevin Heffernan of Southern Methodist University, Dallas presented his chapter from the new edited collection New Views on Pornography: Sexuality, Politics, and the Law (Comella and Tarrant, 2015), which discusses the adult film industry’s historical framework and foundations. This was a rich, thorough presentation that offered a unique insight into the distribution of vintage pornography.
As with every edition of the School, there are accompanying screenings shown at the local cinema. The porn studies strand curated one evening of screenings, which began with two restored loops of vintage erotica that were brought by Ronald Simons of the Eye Institute. It is always quite an eye-opener to view erotica on such a cinema large screen, particularly coming from the UK where this practice is very rare, and when one of the loops was announced to be the infamous Sister Vaseline (1913), where a gardener, a monk and a nun partake in an afternoon of shared pleasure, I knew we were in for a treat. The main screening was of Alberto Cavallone’s Blue Movie (1978), which has recently been released on DVD by Raro Video, albeit in a truncated version, and was unfortunately the source for the screening despite the best efforts of the organisers to locate a print. I had privilege of being asked to introduce this unique film, which I always describe as a cross between Pasolini’s Salò (1975) and Antonioni’s Blow Up (1966), outlining the context for the film’s production and its importance as a forerunner of Italian pornographic cinema.
Overall, the School was once again a resounding success, thanks to the efforts of the organisers and the participation of the students. As soon as the 2015 event was complete, the co-ordinator was once again seeking partners willing to co-fund the 2016 edition of the School. I am pleased to report that the Spring School will return for the thirteenth time from the 9 – 14 March, 2016. The overall theme for the 2016 iteration of the School is titled ‘Bodifications: Mapping the Body in Media Cultures’. More information about the Gorizia Spring School, including a call for papers, can be found at the following link: https://www.filmforumfestival.it
The Porn Studies strand of the School has been a highly significant strand in developing the academic study of sexual cultures. The organisers should be commended for their commitment to developing this emphasis, particularly when the subject of pornography as a legitimate field of academic enquiry tends to raise eyebrows, induce sniggers and dissent, not just in Italy, but other countries. Academic interrogation of popular culture still remains a minority activity in Italy. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of organisers such as Giovanna Maina, Federico Zecca and Enrico Biasin, there is a wave of very impressive young Italian academics studying subjects such as transnational media fandom, 1960s popular cinema and the teenage reception of pornography. Scholars such as these are continuing to challenge the intellectual hegemony of Italian academia. For the past five years, Maina, Zecca and Biasin have curated the porn studies strand of the Spring School as a space for postgraduate students to engage with issues and debates surrounding pornography, but to also bring together scholars from across the world to present, network and collaborate on projects. The successful Porn Studies journal, edited by Professors Feona Attwood and Clarissa Smith and published by Routledge, was ‘conceived’ during the 2013 edition of the School. On a personal level, I value the event as the most important in my calendar, as it has aided the development of my research career more than any other conference I have attended since commencing my academic journey ten years ago.
Now, as this edition of the Cine-Excess journal is focusing on European erotic cinema, I will focus specifically on the porn studies strand of the School. Each year, there is usually a broad theme, past editions focusing on Eurasian pornography and pornographic audiovisual production in Southern and Eastern Europe. The theme for 2015 focused on the relationships between sex, commerce, media and technology. In total, there were four workshops, the subject of the first being ‘New media and public exposure: the politics, ethics, and discourses of Web 2.0 porn’. Fittingly, the first paper was presented by Professor Clarissa Smith from the University of Sunderland, which shared some of the early findings from Smith’s research into the reception of online pornography, conducted in collaboration with Professors Feona Attwood and Martin Barker. This rich empirical study once again contests many of the assumptions made by the media about the reception of pornography, but also raised interesting questions about how academics might approach the study of fantasy, a sufficient framework not currently existing.
Smith’s paper was followed by two papers presented by PhD students. Using the recent example of ‘The Fappening’, Evangelos Tziallas of Concordia University, questioned the existence of a “pornopticon”, where sex and sexuality and sexuality is controlled by by surveillance technologies and a discourse of security that is proffered by the media. Allesandra Mondin, also from the University of Sunderland, presented the results from her questionnaire based research into feminist pornography audiences, discussing how the dominant mode of consumption is of images, GIFs and videos shared on the blogging platform Tumblr.
The second workshop was titled ‘Researching Vintage Porn’, and was organised by my colleague John Mercer and myself. The purpose of this workshop was to involve the postgraduate students attending the event in identifying issues of debate surrounding vintage pornography, which is becoming an increasingly popular area of academic enquiry. This would form a series of ‘proposal abstracts’ for a possible edited collection on the subject of vintage pornography. To stimulate student thinking, Mercer discussed the concept of the vintage erotic image in relation to the history of gay pornography, highlighting the differing époques of gay porn. I then followed, giving a case study relating to vintage pornography that focused on the recent Blu-Ray restoration of vintage porn film The Opening of Misty Beethoven (Radley Metzger, 1976). I argued that the remediation of the film on differing home video technologies, challenges the way that audiences perceive pornography, the HD restoration of the film allowing for the aesthetic qualities to be appreciated in a way that was not before possible.
Archiving pornography is a subject of growing interest in field, as evidenced by the recent publication Porn Archives by Tim Dean, Steven Ruszczycky and David Squires (2014). The third workshop was devoted to this topic, commencing with a paper by the French filmmaker and author Frédéric Tachou (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), who discussed his new, and much needed, publication Et Le Sexe Entra Dans La Modernite: Photographie Obscene Et Cinema Pornographique Primitif, Aux Origines D'Une Industrie (2014), which considers the emergence of French pornographic photography and film ‘loops’. The two papers that followed this excellent discussion of vintage French erotica were presented by archivists. Firstly, Ronald Simons from Eye Institute in Amsterdam talked about the challenges he faces when archiving the Institute’s collection of pornography and, finally, Paolo Caneppele, from the Österreichisches Filmmuseum in Vienna, presented catalogues and ephemera relating to Austrian pornography taken from the archive he helps to curate. Both papers revealed that pornography is not given the attention other film genres are, often being neglected by archivists for its supposed lack of cultural value. It was encouraging to find that archivists such as Simons and Caneppele are devoting their time and efforts to ensure that their holdings of pornography are being preserved for future access.
The final workshop consisted of papers from the organisers: Giovanna Maina, Federcio Zecca and Federico Biasin from the University of Udine. This workshop gave attention to contemporary US pornography. Maina’s paper was based on the subject of alternative pornographies and how they move from communities to markets, Zecca examined contemporary amateur pornographies while Biasin considered the relationship between film studies and the cultural industry of porn.
In addition to the workshops were a series of separate panels and an evening of screenings. Professor Feona Attwood of Middlesex University, presented an excellent paper that debated the term ‘mainstream’ and its relationship to pornography. Attwood calls for greater attention to what mainstream pornography might consist of, as the mainstream that is oft referred to by the media and campaigners such as Gail Dines appears to differ to the viewing habits of the popular porn tube site PornHub. University of Padua PhD candidate Marco Scarcelli, a last-minute replacement, ably presented preliminary findings from his research into teenage female perceptions of pornography, provoking discussion about research design and ethics. Lynn Comella from the University of Nevada Las Vegas considered the impact of Measure B, a safer sex law introduced in LA that requires performers to use condoms and take other health-related precautions, and how this has led to several porn producers moving production to Las Vegas. Finally, Kevin Heffernan of Southern Methodist University, Dallas presented his chapter from the new edited collection New Views on Pornography: Sexuality, Politics, and the Law (Comella and Tarrant, 2015), which discusses the adult film industry’s historical framework and foundations. This was a rich, thorough presentation that offered a unique insight into the distribution of vintage pornography.
As with every edition of the School, there are accompanying screenings shown at the local cinema. The porn studies strand curated one evening of screenings, which began with two restored loops of vintage erotica that were brought by Ronald Simons of the Eye Institute. It is always quite an eye-opener to view erotica on such a cinema large screen, particularly coming from the UK where this practice is very rare, and when one of the loops was announced to be the infamous Sister Vaseline (1913), where a gardener, a monk and a nun partake in an afternoon of shared pleasure, I knew we were in for a treat. The main screening was of Alberto Cavallone’s Blue Movie (1978), which has recently been released on DVD by Raro Video, albeit in a truncated version, and was unfortunately the source for the screening despite the best efforts of the organisers to locate a print. I had privilege of being asked to introduce this unique film, which I always describe as a cross between Pasolini’s Salò (1975) and Antonioni’s Blow Up (1966), outlining the context for the film’s production and its importance as a forerunner of Italian pornographic cinema.
Overall, the School was once again a resounding success, thanks to the efforts of the organisers and the participation of the students. As soon as the 2015 event was complete, the co-ordinator was once again seeking partners willing to co-fund the 2016 edition of the School. I am pleased to report that the Spring School will return for the thirteenth time from the 9 – 14 March, 2016. The overall theme for the 2016 iteration of the School is titled ‘Bodifications: Mapping the Body in Media Cultures’. More information about the Gorizia Spring School, including a call for papers, can be found at the following link: https://www.filmforumfestival.it