Emily Horn
Pornotopia: The Future of Sex and Sexuality in Indie Pornography
Email address
Names of Supervisors
Gary Needham, Dr Hannah Spaulding, Prof Michelle Henning (Department of Communication and Media, University of Liverpool)
Research topic
My research explores the transformative and radical potential of contemporary ‘indie’ pornography as a site of artistic expression, examining its capacity to navigate complex emotions, function as a pedagogical tool, and foster community. It will emphasise unique representational affordances of the pornographic cinematic form, and the potential for innovative, socially conscious ways of producing porn at an industrial level. The project is organised into three distinct but interrelated sections: porn and emotion, porn and pedagogy, and porn and community. The first of these explores pornography as a site for innovative emotional representation, analysing its potential to engage with affect in ways unavailable in other forms of cultural production. Due to the subject matter of pornography, it can be a valuable space in which to explore that which is difficult, or shameful, to express. The second section questions the pedagogical dimensions of pornography: its capacity to shape desires, inform sexual practices, and challenge normative assumptions about sex, gender, and the body. The third section examines pornography’s communal and participatory dimensions, attending to the live and collaborative spaces where it is produced, disseminated, and consumed. Together, these strands illuminate the multifaceted role of pornography in contemporary culture, foregrounding its potential as an invaluable medium for social, political and artistic transformation.
Key words
Pornography, sexuality & gender studies, digital culture, experimental film
Academic achievements
I did my MA in History and Philosophy of Art at the Paris School of Arts and Culture (University of Kent), where I was awarded the Paris Postgraduate Prize for highest academic achievement in my cohort. My article 'A Hard Distinction: Applying the Neuroscience of Sex to Art History’s Pornography Problem' will be published in Debates in Aesthetics in 2025.