Wired
Wired is a series of documentary photographs of sexual devices used by the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. Founded by the famous sexologist Alfred Kinsey in 1947, the Institute has always been a lightning rod for controversy – even Indiana’s own State Representative Woody Burton recently described it as a “porno pit.”
Wired began as a way to satisfy my own curiosity about the inner workings of the Kinsey Institute. During my visit, I poured over rare medical textbooks and explored a vast and unique photographic archive preserving decades of behavior and attitudes toward our sexual selves. Although I had originally thought of my project as documenting the past history of the Institute, while I was there I witnessed something unexpected–a graduate research assistant cleaning a medical device that had just been used in the room next door. Up until that point, I had been unaware that psychophysiological research was still being conducted at the Institute. I stared at the instrument, wondering about the identity of the volunteer subject and the test being conducted. It was a potent reminder that sexual research is still happening, and it is just as pressing – and taboo –as it was 60 years ago.
Medical devices have always held an interest for me. The power of any object is in part how it reveals the lives and interactions of the humans who use it. Medical instruments, in particular, witness the very intimate processes of our bodies: the dramatic events of birth, sex, and death that generally happen behind closed doors. The mechanical and sterile appearance of these instruments seems at odds with the variety of individual people – “independent variables,” according to the scientific terminology – who use them. We can’t help but imagine the stories the devices carry with them: What was done with them? To whom? And by whom? And because these devices are intended to elicit and record sexual responses, they can never be fully separated from their “naughty” or “pornographic” meanings, no matter to what extent the Institute uses them as tools of science.
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Circular calibration device, 2011
Device to calibrate instruments used to measure penile circumference. Consists of a 26-step plastic cylinder with steps ranging from 85 to 121 mm circumference.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Male Vibrator I, 2011
Frequency set at about 50 Hz. Used in an ongoing project, involving over 100 men. Circumference 4.7 inches (stretched approximately 6.3 inches). Overall size approximately 3 by 2 inches.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Vaginal Photoplethysmograph II, 2011
Measure vaginal blood flow indicating the level of sexual arousal in women. Circumference 3.1 inches, length 2.5 inches.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Shock Threats, 2011
Videos were part of a larger selection of films used in a study on the effects of shock threat on men's decisions to watch sexual films. Men were at risk of receiving electrical shocks the longer they watched a sex movie.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Necklace with scented pellets, 2011
Used in a study on the effects of fragrances (perfumes and colognes) on women's sexual arousal. Women were tested during two phases of their menstrual cycle. A total of 33 women participated. Pouch approximately 1.75 by 1 inches.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Rigiscan, 2011
Device that can be used to measure both circumference and rigidity of the penis. Used in 100's of subjects over the past 15 years at The Kinsey Institute. Maximum loop size is 7 inches in circumference.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Oval calibration device, 2011
Device to calibrate instruments used to measure penile circumference in 13 steps, from 85 to 160 mm.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Vaginal Photoplethysmograph III, 2011
Contemporary psychophysiological device which measures vaginal blood flow indicating the level of sexual arousal in women. The positioning shield can be placed on the probe's cable in order to standardize the depth of insertion.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Penis model for condom application, 2011
Men's ability to apply condoms to a penis model are being compared to their skills in putting it on their own penis. Used in an ongoing study of over 100 men. Height is 7 inches, circumference is 3.9 inches.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Male Vibrator II, 2011
Frequency set at about 50 Hz. Used in an ongoing project, involving over 100 men. Circumference 4.7 inches (stretched approximately 6.3 inches). Overall size approximately 3 by 2 inches.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Finger Cuffs, 2011
Blood pressure is measured continuously using an instrument that is called the Portapres.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Role of Sexual Arousal in Sexual Risk Taking, 2011
Used in a study on the role of sexual arousal in sexual risk taking. 76 heterosexual and homosexual men participated.
Archival pigment print
120 x 24 inches
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Vaginal Photoplethysmograph I, 2011
Measures vaginal blood flow indicating the level of sexual arousal in women. Circumference 2.4 inches, length 3 inches.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Silver/silver chloride electrodes, 2011
Measures startle response. Small electrodes (4 mm diameter) are used to measure muscle activity, large ones (8 mm diameter) are used to measure skin conductance.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Mercury-in-rubber penile strain gauge, 2011
Commonly used device to measure erections in men. Circumference 3.8 inches (stretched approximately 6 inches).
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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Biothesiometer, 2011
Measures flaccid and erect penile sensitivity to vibration. Used in ongoing study of over 100 men. Trough dimensions 2 inches in wodth and 4 inches in length.
Archival pigment print
30 x 24 inches
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