From side tables to sex toys, Hamilton-based artist Lauren Goodman’s work is all about blending functionality, feel and form.
Formally trained in fine woodworking at Williams & Cleal Furniture School in England, Goodman has a business designing and creating handmade furniture.
She also collaborates with other artists at Hamilton Audio Visual Node (HAVN), a multimedia arts collective. Additionally, she co-founded Sister Moon Collective, which focuses on fostering community and safer spaces through art.
In 2013, she helped create sex-positive submission-based zine Milkweed, where she was introduced to the erotic art scene. However, it was only recently that she began making erotic art of her own. She began creating hand carved wooden sex toys as a way to experiment with erotica.
“A friend of mine and I were talking about how wood is not a medium that people make sex toys out of,” said Goodman. “So just kind of sort of playing around using these offcuts to make different shapes and forms and sort of coming to forms that I like.”
Sex toys are a personal project for Goodman. Whereas her furniture is commission-based, her sex toys are more about personal exploration.
“This is me exploring my sexuality and what I want, and breaking down stigma that I have myself,” she said.
Through her erotic art, Goodman aims to normalize discussions about sexuality. By making beautiful, artistic sexual objects, she hopes to help break down taboos around sexuality and encourage people to explore sex openly.
“The idea is to break down this stigma of sexual objects, that they have to be in a little box under your bed,” Goodman said. “Why can't we put our ‘dirty’ thing on a plinth in our living room, and then when we want to have sex we grab it off the plinth and go have sex?”
Goodman finds that the sex-positive movement is slowly becoming more widely accepted. In some ways, Instagram is helping to encourage this shift.
Instagram facilitates connections between like-minded artists from around the world, and in doing so builds an online community for an art form such as erotica that may have otherwise been considered niche.
Additionally, sites like Instagram provide opportunities for people to explore sexuality while maintaining some level of anonymity. Goodman notes that people who are reserved about sexuality in real life can find a sense of liberation and openness through social media.
However, the advent of digital media presents a unique set of challenges for Goodman. As a woodworker, the visual element of her work is only one part of the picture. The tactile component of her art is also vital.
“Even with the tables that I make, or lamps, or anything like that — I want you to touch them and feel like it's silky.,” she noted. “I want it to be tactile pleasing as well as aesthetically pleasing, as well as functionally working. And all of these things intersecting to make a beautiful piece of art.”
As online markets replace brick and mortar stores, consumers lose the ability to physically interact with work and provide real time feedback.
Goodman noted that many queer-centric, sex-positive shops are shutting their doors. This means that people lose tactile access to sex objects, as well as the ability to talk to people about sex.
Goodman points to the need for an independent, sex-positive sex shop in Hamilton.
“I would love a Girl On The Wing that just sold sex toys — you know, like the local stuff, really curated with nice colours — that would be amazing, that would be a great store,” she added.
The absence of sex-positive shops in Hamilton speaks to a larger observation about the city’s approach to sexuality.
While Hamilton is known for being an artistic city, it does not have an erotic art scene. She observes a history of sexual repression that pervades into the present day, noting that Hamilton only legalized burlesque last year.
“I think that those deep-seated ‘ickies’ towards sex is really fervent here. And that's maybe why it's a little stifled on the erotic side,” she said.
Goodman also points out that the absence of an erotic arts scene in Hamilton is in part to due with the city’s proximity to Toronto. Hamilton-based artists can take their work to Toronto if they are interested in pursuing erotic art in an already established scene.
Despite the lack of an erotic art scene in Hamilton, Goodman finds that artists often explore themes of sexuality in their work. She finds the artist community in Hamilton to be open, progressive and welcoming.
For Goodman, this openness is key. By exploring sexuality openly and honestly in her work, Goodman hopes to work away at her own internalized shame, and encourage others to do the same.
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Joshua Patel
Discover Your City
December is just around the corner and along with the festivities of the month comes the word that most students dread – exams.
Exams are a stressful time for most students (if not all) as we all work tirelessly to ensure that our semester ends off on the right note. During this busy exam period, it’s important to take a break or get some fresh air to relieve some of that stress.
Hamilton offers many great experiences that are definitely worth checking out and could also provide an alternative study location if you’re looking for a change of environment.
If you’re looking for café’s and restaurants away from campus, downtown Hamilton has plenty to meet your needs. Locke Street full of restaurants, cafes and clothing shops is a great first stop for students, easily accessible through the HSR. The Jet Café and Detour Café (both on King Street) as well as James Street’s Mulberry Street Coffeehouse are just a few more options outside the McMaster University ‘bubble’ that could offer you an alternative study location as well as help you explore the City at the same time.
Weather-permitted, Hamilton also has a number of parks that could add some beautiful scenery to your study experience. Bayfront Park, Pier 4 Park, the Hamilton Harbour Waterfront Trail and Hamilton Beach Recreational Trail are a few scenic options in the City to help you get some fresh air and enjoy the view of the harbour, whether you’re looking to take a break or just study outdoors.
While libraries on campus get busy there are a number of public libraries off-campus that could meet your needs. The Westdale public library and Hamilton’s Central generic viagra cost Library (near Jackson Square) are two options that have great study places and academic resources that you could utilize while exploring the City at the same time.
Hamilton has something to offer for everyone and during the upcoming month, don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and explore the City! Good luck McMaster!
Karen Piper
The Silhouette
In 1492, Christopher Columbus embarked on a journey to find a new route for British trade ships to sail to India. However, he inadvertently ended up crossing the Atlantic Ocean, all the way to the New World: the Caribbean Islands and the Americas. Columbus was astonished to discover that that these minute islands were already inhabited.
Like Columbus many times in life we set forth on a journey with a specific goal or destination in mind, but some unexpected obstacle may alter our original course, thereby leading us to stumble upon something even more fascinating and worthwhile.
This is exactly what happened to me when I commenced my academic journey. I had everything strategically planned.
I am from the beautiful island of Saint Lucia, which is known as a world-renowned wedding and honeymoon destination. I decided to pursue an associate degree in Travel and Tourism at the island’s community college. Well, I am sure you have heard industry professionals claim that no amount of classroom theory compares to practical training, and they are quite right. After completing two internships at leading five star resorts on the island, I decided that this field was not right for me.
In 2011, through the help of an island scholarship, I began an entirely new educational experience: pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance at the City University of New York (CUNY). Prior to this event, I worked at a bank in Saint Lucia for two years. It was at then I discovered my love for the banking and finance industries. At this point you may be wondering why I am enrolled at McMaster University in 2013.
Along the way, I soon realized that life in New York as a student did not correlate with my personality or lifestyle. Now, before you judge me, let me just say that – like many emblazoned shirts - I love New York. But being a student there means costly travel expenses due to long train rides to and from school, not to mention the burden of finding accommodations as the majority of universities there do not offer campus housing.
My fundamental point here is that life is all about finding out what works best for YOU. After all, it is YOUR life. This is why I made the decision to enroll at McMaster University.
It occurred to me that this is the opportune time to travel and obtain a diverse educational profile. It is true that I struggled to fit into the culture of New York; however, being in such an environment forced me to grow both personally and intellectually. As a result, I am a much better manager of time and money.
At the end of the day, I feel as if I am three people in one: Saint Lucian of course, a former New Yorker and now, up-and-coming Canadian. Moreover, when potential employers recognize that you have studied or lived in multiple countries, they ultimately establish that you are a risk-taker and someone who can adapt swiftly to change, being able to handle uncertainty. A valuable asset.
As young people we need to exploit the advantages that our youth affords us. We should dare to learn of new cultures: music, fashion, art, dance and so forth. It is not always about where you end up, but the experiences and the wealth of knowledge acquired along the way. In addition, during these occurrences, we should also be respectful of cultural diversity and various ethnic traditions. This is how we develop our character and learn from each other. Some of you may be thinking of doing an exchange program in which you attend school in Italy or France or wherever.
Go for it. This occasion will change your outlook on life and expand your comfort zone beyond where you thought possible. We don’t grow when we are comfortable or stagnant. There is an entire globe out there, explore it, cherish it, respect it, and use it to your full advantage. The world is your oyster.
And mine as well.
