Vernon’s artistic journey ranges from art to activism in the erotic realm: the book enables an exploration of the secrets of pleasure through a pictorial voyage
Betony Vernon, a career straddling design and sexology
Betony Vernon’s work has always been connected to the relationship with the human body. Her ability as a sculptor and designer to maintain a strong physical significance in her forms is to be found in her engagement with the subject of eroticism. Born in the United States as a designer, she then studied in the sexual anthropology field and later evolved these two aspects into the writing of two books. The objects created by Vernon are designed to endure, often realized in metals such as gold or silver do not explicate their precise functionality.
From jewelry to sculptures and interior furniture everything draws on her multidisciplinary approach to erotic subject matter. Along with the creation of design objects in fact are happenings and sessions of hands-on teaching and healing sharing, Michele Heuze explains in her biography. The hallmark of her art that is never far from the human anatomy returns by creating a kind of personal, shareable wellness aesthetic. Her work has found natural amplification within a number of exhibitions, such as the most recent displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.
Paradise Found: An Erotic Treasury for Sybarites
«The more you free yourself, the more fun you have. When sexuality is not honored, we are not complete». This is how Betony Vernon comments on the release of the book Paradise Found: An Erotic Treasure for Sybarites celebrating her thirty-year career. Among the goals of the book and her career between activism and creativity are the liberation of sexuality and pleasure from society’s imposed taboos.
A promulgator and icon of sensuality, Vernon in her three decades of practice has been dedicated to the emancipation of these issues from the perspective of achieving joy. Form and function are rarely ignored within her sculptural and design works in fact. The body is the absolute protagonist in the sacred elevation of eroticism that leads to the exaltation of the deepest intimate desires. The objects made also aim at a discovery of sexual pleasure even for women who for years have had to endure a masculine view of the same.
The celebratory book encapsulating the artist’s journey
Following the publication of her book The Boudoir Bible : The Uninhibited Sex Guide for Today in 2013, Vernon returns with a new issue collecting her celebrated works. Here the high level of artisanal skills and materials chosen to create design objects and jewelry are embellished by the designer’s words revealing their uses. Instruments of ecstasy, so are defined the pieces created by Vernon, capable of enabling the user to reach new levels of pleasure.
Within the book, a path is created to unlock the mysteries of arousal growth through images. In addition to the photographic work documenting Vernon’s practice, illustrations curated by well-known names in the fashion field from François Berthoud to David Downton are also included. The book is divided into the different chapters: Tickle Your Fantasies, Erect the Temple and Role Play. «I believe that sexual knowledge can change the world for the better, because pleasure is reflected in all aspects of life», asserts Betony Vernon.
Precious metal or marble jewelry
Part of the artistic creations can be attributed to the line of authentic jewelry designed by Vernon. Inspiring the design of her “jewel-tools”, as already mentioned, is the human body along with the widespread use of the cheap sex toys industry. This is where the artist starts from to launch in 2002 her Paradise Found Fine Erotic Jewelry collection that now consists of more than 400 pieces. Tangible components to fully understand her mission to enable the complete attainment of shared pleasure. The materials used in the creations are precious metals or marble and other noble, natural mediums that are safe for the body.
With a sense of glamor and luxury, gold spheres meet tantalizing elements such as Ostrich feathers alongside pieces capable of adorning the figure. Beginning with her first “Sado-Chic” jewelry works dating back to 1992, Vernon understood how these fineries «could bestow sensorial pleasure and encourage sensual exploration as well as please the eye». These items are considered the first to explore the possibilities in the field of jewelry to embellish the human body and act as instruments of pleasure.
The Boudoir Bible, BV Heritage and method
Central to the study and development of Betony Vernon’s designs is the boudoir. The private ladies’ parlor that originated in the eighteenth century as a simple detached hall and dressing room was later transformed into a place used for intimate encounters. From this luxurious lounge takes its name Vernon’s book The Boudoir Bible, which aims to explore those niches of pleasure seldom considered.
From bondage to role-playing, everything is reported with the belief that going beyond prejudices makes it possible to experience satisfying sexual relationships. Embedded in the perspective in which sex is viewed are illustrations by provocative artist Nick Knight. This also gives rise to the conception of the Boudoir Box, a work of art capable of physically furnishing what Vernon theorized. In particular, this contains a series of jewel-tools that bring back the artist’s idea of the boudoir as a ritual and sacred space dedicated to sexual ceremony.
Going beyond the usual taboos imposed by custom
The artist’s main mission is to be found in achieving such a shared pleasure. This is the reason why Vernon gave birth to his own method based on the belief that there are several limitations due to social or personal factors. Experiences such as abuse or negative backgrounds thus become part of this approach being able to escape them through the dissemination of sexual knowledge. Since 2002 Vernon has also held salons with the goal of helping participants hurdle diehard taboos imposed by custom and culture worldwide.
There is not only the possibility of exploration, but also the awareness of benefiting from safe and luxurious initiations guided by Vernon. From hypnosis to talk therapy, different methodologies are used in the personal approach with the client. Her sessions referred to as therapeutic also work on eliminating anxieties, addictions, phobias but also sex-related traumas.
Betony Vernon
The artist’s career has been marked by the contamination of art, design and sexology. Currently based between Paris and Rome, Vernon in her research in the field of pleasure besides becoming an author has presented her works in several international museums and collaborated with major fashion houses, from Maison Valentino, Jean-Paul Gaultier.
