Ambika P3 - Alien Sex Club

Alien Sex Club was held at Ambika P3 of University of Westminster between 24 July to 14 August 2015. It is a joint collaboration between artist John Walter and HIV researcher and specialist Dr Alison Rodger. Walter shaped and crafted the visuals of the research provided by Dr Rodger on the subject, creating a Cruise Maze, which is most commonly found in sex clubs and gay saunas. The works combines the HIV with art through many varied interactions in exploring the way the subject is addressed. This exhibition contains adult themes.

Hats for Marrows are a series of sculptures satirising condom fatigue. The mini hats were knitted by the Walter’s mother and affixed on top of the Styrofoam marrows. It is intended to be cradled in your arms as you make your way around the exhibition.

Pill Burden are a series of pictures reflecting on the decrease on the need of antiretroviral therapy since the 1990s. At one point, patients had to take up to 40 pills a day in comparison to today where patients only need to take 1 pill a day to manage their HIV treatment.

The Inflatable Head is a take on Walter’s pug virus and becomes a theme in some of his works across the exhibition in drawings to 3D prints.

Juliberry’s Grave is a series of coffins that remember people of cultural significance that have died of AIDS. It is a way to help send the lost cultural information when they died into “cultural consciousness”.

Rapid HIV testing carried out by Terrence Higgins Trust are done in a blue shed that resembles a semi-virus. It’s quick and easy to do with the results shown directly after getting a spot sample of blood.

Tarot readings are done daily with mine done by the lovely Sue who took the form of Barbara Truvada. She delves into the depths of the past, present and future exploring the self, obstacles and how they entwine. My reading was down to the T with a lot of thought and afterthought to figure it out. Enlarged version of the tarot cards can be found in the maze.

The Intestinal Corridor contains images of city maps, viruses, pills, symbols and other images, providing a transcendental experience into the maze.

The Capsid Club contains structures of HIV capsids, which are the protein shells of viruses.

Video Booth shows two characters in their respected screens (Goat Guy and Bummy Pete) speaking in garbled speech as a way of looking at the slang terms used when cruising for sex. The design reflects the US adult bookstores in which pornographic films can be simultaneously watched while sex acts are done through glory holes in booths.

Shrinkies are a series of miniature drawings that were shrunk using special materials. A larger-scaled version can be found displayed elsewhere in the maze.

The Big Book, which sadly could not be flipped through, showed paintings presented as the Alien Sex Club bible, which contained 49 pages on double-paged spreads.

Two sets of drawings are displayed in the maze which dal with the language of HIV and architecture, while the second deals with the different presets that are performed to attain this architecture.

Three videos shown in the maze deals with different sides of sex and how they relate to HIV. The three videos are Strategic Positioning, Crystal Dick and Courtship Disorder, which can be viewed below.

It was overall a different experience which was fun and enjoyable with different windows of offerings to interact with and think about. I went on two occasions which included the last day of the exhibition and managed to see the artist in very colourful clothing without realising that he was John Walters. Only after when a staff said he was there on the day but he had already left when the revelation was revealed. Alien Sex Club will be coming to Liverpool later in the year as part of the Homotopia festival.

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