Beatrice Gorelli & Kerem Türkyilmaz – Virtual Onanism

The first pandemic disrupted the physical; we witnessed the most massive internet training in history. People of all ages had to deal with digital devices or apps, even going grocery. Not to mention interpersonal relationships, which have moved to digital devices in a few days. As a result, the usage of WhatsApp has increased to almost 80% in Europe. Data shows that video porn platforms have also taken a significant part in our lives. PornHub reported over 39 billion searches during 2019, suggesting 18,073 terabytes of data transferred per day, circa 40% traffic increase among male and female users.
In general, the idea of autoerotism was considered a natural act among Greeks and Egyptians in the past. But in mid-1700, it was sentenced by the highest figure of that time, for example, the Swiss medician S. A. Tissot or the philosophers I. Kant and J.J. Rousseau, who called it a “desecration of humanity,” pseudoscientific superstitions persisted until recent times, linked masturbation to blindness and the curvature of the spine.
The interactive piece wants to raise the thematic of masturbation in virtual media. Imagine our computer or smartphone as a mirror, returning to the viewer the unconditional actions each performs during masturbation; after the user has become familiar with the interaction by identifying his hands, the input changes to a masturbation video — giving the viewer an unexpected feeling. The result can be considered a collection of biological activities linked to the most personal pleasure movements that unite us in a profound, private, collective moment.