Birthday suits
Lucy Hilmer photographs herself every year on her birthday wearing nothing but her white Lollipop underpants, shoes and socks. She's been doing this for 4o years since her 29th birthday. In 2015, she will be 70.
Sex-ed in school
We came with idea and was the leading organizer of a conference and series of workshops (“Do you want to talk about it?” – conference and workshop for teachers) we organized with a civil youth organization called TEIS Foundation for teachers and educators in Budapest (HU). The program was financed by a grant provided by the Ministry of National Resources. One of the purposes of the conference and workshops were to initiate a dialogue among professionals involved in sex education. We invited decision makers, social scientists, school teachers, school counselors, nurses, psychologists, educators, activists, youth facilitators and also youth activists, volunteers from youth organizations. Our aim was to gather all the representatives of the referred state institutions, civil and religious organizations and also individuals working actively with youth.
The BODY project
Ars Erotica Foundation was involved in a two-year Grundtvig project (www.bodyproject.eu) funded by the European Commission under the Lifelong Learning Programme. The BODY project had the overall aim to explore how our perception of the body and body-related themes such as health, disease, gender, age, sexuality and disability is influenced by cultural differences and on the same affects our intercultural communication.
Partner organizations in this project have been involved in research and training activities in the intersection of cultural diversity and body (Elan Interculturel) gender (MHTConsult, CESIE, Elan Interculturel, Ars Erotica Foundation), disability (KVG), and sexuality (Ars Erotica Foundation, CESIE, KVG.). It is our common observation both in research and training that factors related to the body and gender become ‘sensitive zones’ in cultural contact zones. Yet the resources available – both theoretical and practical – are rather scarce. Engagement in an applied research on cultural differences in gender, body and sexuality and the translation of the results into applicable training materials and trainings is in line with our strategic objectives.