Hardcore from the Heart: The Pleasures, Profits and Politics of Sex in Performance

Pornography, on or off the stage, is an inflammatory issue, and one which is deeply linked to theatrical representation throughout history. But what happens to the notions of the pornographic when a female performer subverts the conventional models of pornographic representation by reclaiming the agency of her own body?This is exactly what sex industry worker and performance artist Annie Sprinkle attempts through her courageous and challenging work. By locating her discourse on her own body, she renders exploitation impossible and refers to herself as a "post-porn modernist." However, Sprinkle's complication of the power relations inherent in representational acts raises important theoretical issues. When is identity not created by an outside source? When is the female body not in a prostituted relationship to representational structures? Is the spectator always a voyeur? Why is "post-porn" modernism still not endorsed by many brands of feminism? In order to structure a conversation about these issues,Hardcore from the Heart presents a number of Annie Sprinkle's key performance texts and essays, and interviews with artists who have worked closely with her over the years, together with a critical introduction and commentaries.