By J.J. Deogracias
What do erotic storytelling, a human graffiti wall, pups playing poker, and taking down an obnoxious person have in common?
For the most part, these concepts would have nothing in common. However, at the Black Eagle Toronto on the night of May 7th, 2011, these and other concepts played out in a gallery of scenes for Kink in the City, an artistic fetish fundraiser organized by Dwayne Bryk (Mr. Spearhead Toronto 2011) and boy iain (Eastern Canada Leatherboy 2011) for the Toronto People With AIDS (PWA) Foundation.
"I began to explore the opportunities for creating this fetish fundraiser through realizing aspects of 'fringe theatre', a term used to describe alternative theatre," explained Bryk who originated the idea. "The evening would evolve around aspects of art and eroticism in a fringe-like environment where 'scenes' would rotate from space to space. The Black Eagle became our palette and we invited members of fetish/BDSM community to help us paint the space with the diversities of their artistic and sexual/sensual selves."
"The concept of the event worked for me combining Dwayne's artistic direction and the playfulness of the Leatherboy title," commented boy iain. "What transpired that evening was an amazing combination and balance of both the interpretation of art... and play... You had a broad spectrum of our community represented."
Throughout the evening, patrons at the Black Eagle enjoyed viewing what Bryk described as a "gallery of momentary, spontaneous, fetish and sexual/sensual events". Some of these events included tally master for the upcoming Bootblack Toronto 2012 contest, Penny Gyokeres reading one of her dyke erotica short stories,
No Choice; former Mr. Leatherman Toronto, Paul Hackett reciting from the Allan Ginsberg poem,
Please Master before spontaneously flogging another guy; sex educator/author/photographer, Lord Morpheus and his cohort doing a series of rope bondage demos; kink educator Dan Madden stripping, blindfolding, and duct-taping his partner onto a St. Andrew’s cross, while having random patrons draw graffiti on the body of Madden’s partner; owner of Northbound Leather, George Giaouris cuffing and gagging an obnoxious customer having a hissy fit (as played by none other than boy iain) before pushing the customer down to the ground and placing his boots on the customer’s back while nursing his drink. Even I had the opportunity to participate in this event by organizing a live-action recreation of C.M. Coolidge’s
Dogs Playing Poker paintings with the pups from the Black Eagle Kennel Klub.
As well, Mr. Rubber Toronto 2011, Mikiki and the PWA Poz Prevention Outreach Team geared up, handed out condoms and lube, and engaged the Black Eagle patrons around the work of the Poz Prevention Outreach Team and other PWA programs. And the members of the Friends for Life Bike Rally Team set up a bicycle near the entrance, and continuously pedalled that bicycle during the entire course of Kink in the City.
While exposed to these various scenes, patrons also had the opportunity to win raffle prizes donated by various sponsors including Chained Reaction Designs, Steel Mill Media, Nasty Pig, and Labatt’s Breweries.
By the end of the night, Kink in the City raised $1.000.50 (CAN) for the Toronto PWA Foundation.
"The positive feedback has been overwhelming," Bryk commented. "I am entirely optimistic that Kink In the City 2 will occur next year!"
"I am definitely looking forward to next year's event, and would love to see this become a new tradition in our city," boy iain said. "There are a lot of people with talent in the city that I would love to see displayed."
Check out the Pups Playing Poker pics in Leatherati Galleries
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