Steampunk Vibrator & A Touch of Pleasure
By Kuono • May 4th, 2009 • Category: BlogAni Niow is one of the featured creative minds at “A Touch of Pleasure” an exhibit for National Masturbation Month, curated by Madison Young and presented at Femina Potens Gallery in San Francisco. The exhibit runs through the 31st. More about the exhibit follows below, beginning with Ani’s fantastic Steampunk Vibrator.
Ani Niow’s Steampunk Vibrator
Photo: ladycartoonist.com and ladycartoonist on flickrAni Niow and her SteamVibe — a hand-held steam-powered vibrator. It’s fitted with a Tesla Turbine (probably one of the smallest in the world. with captions from Ani who I contacted via email. She told me more:
“In use it creates a very low level buzz, not as much as other vibes but you can definitely feel it. I’m going to re-machine the weight inside to see if I can get it shaking a bit more sometime next week. Despite being called “steampunk” it turns out steam is really impractical for it given it gets really really hot, to the point where it would burn skin on the part where the engine is, so I’m using compressed air to run it until I can get a hold of a powerful enough boiler to make it work on that.”
Here’s a closer look at this impressive machine.
“The stepped casing has several functions, the first being a form of tactile feedback, the second is so I could machine away layers of them as I got to the size I wanted and the third is because it looks fucking cool.”
“The brass thing sticking out of the vibe is an adapter for a hose in which steam or compressed air would go through.”
“The brass piece with a bunch of holes in it is the engine cap which is threaded into the vibe. the holes are for the exhaust.
This is the engine housing. grooves are so air/steam gets directed into them and then through the teeny little holes that are drilled to make the engine.”
“You can see the first rotor which is a dremel diamond coated cutoff bit. Chose them since they had exhaust holes pre-drilled out in the arrangement I needed.
Can’t make it? See more of the Steampunk Vibrator on Ani’s flickr stream. (via @vniow) And if SteamPunk get’s your whistles blowing, be sure to bookmark SteamPunkWorkshop.com.
If you’re in San Francisco and want to see the vibrator close-up along with a bunch of other fantastic looking creations, head on over to Femina Potens. Here’s their official release:
A Touch of Pleasure
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 2, 2009 7-10pm step through the doors at Femina Potens Art Gallery to experience a wonderland of art works and installations that will leave you salivating as your host for the evening, sex educator and feminist Porn Star, Madison Young welcomes you to a world of art and pleasure. Sculptural installations from Maria Kretschman, of ice cream dildos will leave you dripping for a taste of something sweet. Steampunk style turbine engine powered vibrators that can be powered from your kitchen’s espresso machine engineered by Ani Niow, will have you revved up for more. World famous, Kink.com and FuckingMachines.com, will be bringing us the future of masturbation with one of their originally designed machines by Kink.com’s Tom Cat. Come see what the world is so fascinated with when it comes to jilling off at over 200 rotations per minute!
And although the future looks promising we mustn’t forget our past. We pay homage to our masturbatory heritage with a display of antique vibrators on display from the Center for Sex and Culture. Our walls will be spewed with the creation of visually astounding art works by photographer Ryan Whittier and artist Diana Stapleton while performance artist, chel{SEA LU}na, breaks boundaries with a series of live performance art. Femina Potens, proudly presents ‘A Touch Of Pleasure’ as we encourage viewers and artists to take matters into their own hands, so to speak, at our second annual visual and performance art exhibit celebrating National Masturbation Month.
Originally started in 1995 by Good Vibrations, Masturbation Month was established to protest the firing of U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders, who, when asked about safe sex, responded with, “Masturbation is something that perhaps should be taught.” Afterward, conservative outrage cost Elders her position and inspired Good Vibrations to wage war in the name of rubbing one out on the home front.
These artists will manipulate the meaning of masturbation through drawing, sculpture, installation, performance, and engineering. Masturbation means different things to all of us and our artists will explore these ideas, stigmas, innovations, and private processes of pleasure through ride-able, larger than life sex toys, fucking machines, and steam powered dildos! Come celebrate one of our favorite pastimes on May 2; we hope to send you home inspired to explore yourself.
Receive your very own stimulus package this May at Femina Potens. Opening Reception May 2, 2009 7:00-10:00pm. This is your chance to meet and enjoy refreshments with the talented artists that created these masturbating masterpieces. Show runs May 2-31, 2009.
Related Posts:
Good Vibrations Antique Vibrator Museum
Fucking Machines Demo
Related Products:
Eroscillator 2 Plus
Eroscillator Top 2 Deluxe Vibrator
Kuono >> Magazine Editor, Web Producer at GoodVibes.com and manager of the Good Vibrations Affiliate Program (GVAffiliates.com). Okay, back to work.
All posts by Kuono
Great article, can’t wait to see the exhibit. Just wanted to mention the photo of Ani appears to be from my friend Mer’s flickr set. It’d be nice to see a credit or a link to her picture (instead of hosting it on GV). http://www.flickr.com/photos/satiredun/3498935037/in/photostream/
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– K
Done! Sorry, I had saved that image with the others from her set which were credited, and forgot to add that credit with links. They’re up now — great images!
Extra — I’ve been looking at all the other posts about this vibrator, on sites like BoingBoing, etc… and notice that there is a discussion about whether or not vibrators existed during the Victorian era (ie: when steam engineering was prevalent)… that’s the when Queen Victoria ruled Britain: 1837-1901.
Yes, there were vibrators! Check out our Antique Vibrator Museum on GoodVibes.com and you’ll find a set dated from 1869-1920. They were electric.
Check out our Antique Vibrator Museum to see what they looked like:
http://tinyurl.com/dzr786