Nerd Nite 21: Historical Phalluses and Amazonian Bondage Queens
Thursday, October 16th
Carly’s Bistro
7:30 pm
Presentation #1
Ancient Dick Pics: Phallic Depictions in Art before 500 AD
As Anthony Weiner, a.k.a. “Carlos Danger,” can attest, cell phones with cameras (and well-stuffed boxer-briefs) have irreparably altered courtship etiquette. But horny congressmen aren’t the only ones obsessed with their packages. Throughout history, there have been many renderings of impressive phalluses, most available for the public to view. The various implications of such representations, however, are not as straightforward as one may assume, and sometimes it takes (*ahem*) a helping hand to understand what these images truly mean.
In this Nerd Nite presentation, Mike Zajac and Kassie Lamp focus on depictions of phalluses from ancient cultures, be they lucky, apotrpoaic, fertile, or downright erotic. Pulling samples from 16,000 years of art history, the scholars explain the varied connotations of the male member, and educate why such pictures and sculptures cannot be assumed to be simply pornographic.
Mike Zajac is an independent scholar specializing in reconstructions of brothels and areas of sexual commerce in ancient Rome. He holds a BIS degree in Art History and Psychology, and an MA in Art History, both from Arizona State University. He is an active lecturer in the southwestern United States and speaks on a variety of topics, both sexual and not. He has looked at a lot of explicit images. A lot.
Kassie Lamp is an assistant professor of classical rhetoric at a local institution of higher education, from which she does not want to be fired for talking about smut in public. She has a PhD and a MA in rhetorical studies from the University of Illinois, and a BA from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in communication and classical archaeology. Her first book, A City of Marble: The Rhetoric of Augustan Rome, argues the Augustan cultural campaigns were influenced by classical rhetorical theory. The book has 45 images in it, and, yes – one of them is an ancient dick pic.
Presentation #2
“Amazonian Bondage Queens: William Moulton Marston and the kinky origins of Wonder Woman”.
“She’s one of the World’s Finest Heroes. An Amazonian warrior princess who can deflect bullets with a flick of her twist and hogtie the truth out of any villain with her magic lasso. She’s the most iconic female character in the history of comic… created by a kinky male polyamorous psychologist. Come find out who and what inspired William Moulton Marston to bring Wonder Woman to life (and find out what surprising invention he had a hand in creating).”
Ashley Naftule is a writer, performer and man about town. An ensemble member and playwright with Space 55 theater, he’s also performed in The Encyclopedia Show, PHIL Talks, FFNL, Ignite Phoenix and produces the Trunk Space’s annual H.P. Lovecraft Birthday Party. He is currently organizing “The Rides of March”, a Shakespearean bike tour that will happen next year in downtown on the Ides of March. He considers himself to be a hard line Groucho Marxist, and won third place in this year’s Air Sex championships at FilmBar.
Posted in Upcoming Nerd Nite Events