A Mouthful of Sperm

Revision as of 15:10, 9 July 2013 by Chris Falcone (talk | contribs)
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
2618875089.jpg

Artist: John Byford

Year: 2013

Date of Action: Spring 2013

Region: North America

Location: Lincolnshire, England

Subject: Explicit Sexuality

Medium: Photography

Confronting Bodies: East Lindsey District Council

Description of Artwork: Byford submitted a series of photographic works for the annual SO Festival in Lincolnshire. The image of two children peering into the insides of a sperm whale's mouth was targeted for its title's "strong sexual connotations": "A Mouthful of Sperm".

The Incident: The East Lindsey Council, as well as the festival director, requested that the work be removed from its display location. Claiming that the photograph would not be suitable for a "family audience", the authorities refused to allow the work to remain in place for the festival.

Results of Incident: As a response to this gesture, the artist, John Byford, chose to withdraw the entirety of his work from the show.

Source:
http://www.skegnessstandard.co.uk/lifestyle/arts-leisure/skegness-artist-accuses-so-festival-organisers-of-censoring-sexual-photo-title-1-5245495