On a chilly Friday evening, a cold wind sweeps through the streets of Barcelona, but the temperature will rise soon. We arrive at what appears to be the backdoor of a former industrial building painted in black. We received the address 24 hours before our appointment. A doorbell beneath a glowing sign reads, “Here at Lust. Come in!” After ringing the bell, our erotic journey at House of ERIKA LUST begins.
A gentleman greets us, handing out black masks. The “Eyes Wide Shut” movie comes to my mind. My plus-one shows an intriguing face; although he initially suggested he needed to be persuaded to join me, that wasn’t difficult at all! Other guests, mainly couples and pairs of friends, are already sipping glasses of cava. The masks assure anonymity, but they are not mandatory.
Our first stop is a room encircled by mirrors, which slightly disorients the guests and piques their curiosity about what lies ahead. A prominent display featuring images from filmmaker Erika Lust’s work invites visitors to delve deeper into her world, showcasing the vision and values that define her ethical adult cinema. “A new kind of adult cinema is possible through a female gaze and with artistic quality,” she asserts.
I recall writing about Erika Lust for the first time in 2022. I was investigating how the offline landscape of cities is often promiscuous, presents contradictions around intimacy, and doesn’t always promote healthy urban sexualities. I asked Lust what she would do if given the chance to create a project that could sexualize the city in her way, benefiting both women and men. To my surprise, she revealed they were already working on something for the streets of Barcelona.
That must have been the project of House of ERIKA LUST. As we stand in the first room, the displayed images comfort us with her advocacy for “Sex Positivity” and her mission to immerse us in a deep exploration of human sexuality. One of the images reads, “Everybody deserves pleasure; all bodies are inherently desirable, and their very existence is cause for celebration.”
Next, we enter the second room where Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” plays softly in the background. On a large screen, we watch short films that Lust has created, transforming intimate confessions submitted by her audience into cinematic experiences that bring their fantasies to life. It’s an invitation to witness how storytelling can creatively express personal desires.
This interaction with the public isn’t new for Lust. In her first film, Barcelona Sex Project, she opted to feature ordinary residents rather than actors, presenting real pleasure stories that challenge the narratives found in typical online pornography. In her well-known series, XConfessions, she also selects and films some of her audience’s submitted sexual fantasies through her website.
Although much of Lust’s work has been online, her unconventional approach to sexuality aims to draw closer to the audience. House of ERIKA LUST is a culmination of that vision.
“Trust me, I am always in charge,” the next room proclaims as we enter. Here, the virtual journey begins. Guests embark on a 15-minute virtual tour inside what is purportedly Erika Lust’s house. Technology plays a vital role: the augmented and virtual reality developed by the Spanish studio Layers of Reality enhances Lust’s artistic vision, creating a fully immersive environment filled with unexpected avenues of sensuality and pleasure.
During the virtual journey, guests can choose from “Erotic,” “Explicit,” or a surprise experience, allowing for a personalized exploration of desire. We all know that sex is a highly sensitive topic, but Lust managed to engage women and men with respect. She uses content and visuals that have been carefully curated to reflect a wide range of experiences, ensuring that each guest finds a safe and engaging space to explore their desires.
As the virtual tour concludes, I remove the VR goggles and turn to see most couples holding onto each other while touring a spacious, empty space. Interestingly, the majority of guests have opted to experience the erotic journey together, just like us.
Finally, we step into the last room, a 360-degree immersive creation that serves as an ode to erotic romance and the diversity of pleasure. This space fuses artistic visuals with sensuality in a grand format, offering a sensory journey that is both intimate and expansive, celebrating the beauty of erotic storytelling. At this moment, I realize the significant potential that Lust is tapping into with the House.
In 2022, a Pew Research Center survey revealed that about half of people have a positive experience with online dating, down from October 2019. “With little success on the apps, a small but enthusiastic slice of singles are reaching for speed dating and matchmakers,” wrote Lora Kelley at The Atlantic last April. “The mood around dating apps has soured.”
At the same time, a report commissioned by The Economist from data analyst Stephen Follows indicated that the percentage of top-grossing films with no sexual content has significantly increased, from about 18% in 2000 to 46% in 2023. Follows concludes that this trend is “the biggest driver of this reduction in sexual content.”
The issue is not only that dating apps are facing a crisis in public enthusiasm or that there are fewer sexual acts on screen; but rather, many people are experiencing “dating fatigue” and are becoming less sexually stimulated, leading them to give up on sex and dating altogether. Furthermore, we know how paid sexual consumption often unfolds. Sex shops or clubs with blacked-out windows tend to discourage many female consumers and are perceived as male-oriented preserves.
Dating and sex apps once looked like the foundation for the search for sex and romance. Now, the cracks are starting to show, and Lust saw them. Her House serves as a gateway to new sensations in a new era of eroticism. The experience offered at this venue does not include live artist performances, and visitors are not required to engage in any physical contact or participate in erotic or sexual activities. However, many visitors agree that the experience is thrilling and stimulating. “We wanted to create a space that allows people to explore their desires free from stigma and open to diversity,” says Lust.
The combination of technological innovation and artistic expression in physical space within the city is a pioneering approach to engage men and women with an aspect of society that is often marginalized socially and legally. House of ERIKA LUST is sexually stimulating, can foster emotional connections, and enhances a predisposition toward erotic romance for urban dwellers. Who wouldn’t want to live in such a city?
House of ERIKA LUST opens in Barcelona from October 25th, 2024, to April 2025. Tickets are available at www.houseoferikalust.com. The exhibition will run Wednesday through Sunday, from 9 PM to midnight.
