Show me your O
Phoenix photographer takes taboo subject to galleries for a good cause.

Comedian, actor and executive transvestite Eddie Izzard once did a skit where God (with the voice of James Mason) told each of the animals how they would have sex. The dogs would obviously do it doggy style, giraffes were told to manage however they could, and salmon had to swim and swim and swim upstream until they laid their eggs and died. Then God gets to the humans. He turns to them and says: “I don’t care how you do it, as long as guilt is involved.”

Since the Catholic Church rose to power way back when, they’ve been putting a damper on the sex lives of people worldwide. Since rising to power in the States, they have really taken off with their “Just Don’t Do It” campaign and even infiltrated the lives of non-Catholics. Sex has been stigmatized, sterilized and criminalized for many Americans. And it’s not just the Catholics holding the smoking gun by any means. So it’s no wonder that many of us grow up ashamed of our ... needs. And this is where Guilio Sciorio’s new photo project Faces of Ecstasy: Real People, Real Orgasms takes a swing back at those libido-lacerating legions.

You may know Guilio (aka G) for his fun, funny and often edgy photography for the Phoenix New Times. His Web site www.giuliosciorio.com contains many of his best and most recognized photos from the past several years. At one time his business cards even boasted: “If you need something shot, hire a G.” To him, humor and edge have always been something he strives for, but never at the expense of his professionalism. His unique style has been called on by several major ad campaigns, but to his dismay, he is often asked to tone it down. It’s this frustration that has inspired Sciorio to start his Faces of Ecstasy project.

Faces of Ecstasy is an on-going project preparing for a national tour with its gallery debut opening May 2 at Perihelion Arts in downtown Phoenix. The show, currently containing around 12 photos, is exactly what the title implies; real people, real orgasms. Each photo is made up of a single person head shot writhing in the throws of an actual orgasm. The project is meant to raise sexual awareness and show that everyone and anyone is a sexual being. To do this Sciorio has chosen individuals from every walk of life for the project, including bankers and teachers and even a rock-n-roll midget.

“ I want people to know, this is your average Joe or Jane and they have orgasms,” he said. “It hits on so many levels because you don’t see people in their every day life with their O-faces.”

Even before meeting Sciorio through mutual friend and photographer Dayvid LeMmon, Amy Young was a fan of his bold color choices and ability to nail the most amazing shots to parallel the subject at hand.

“I was thrilled to find out about his Faces of Ecstasy series,” she said. “Aside from G's obvious technical skills and keen eye, my love for this body of work is two-fold: I love that it recognizes universal threads — things that filter through humanity and remind us that no matter our differences, there is generally a common ground where we can meet — and that itself leads to infinite possibilities. I love also that it celebrates sexuality in a positive manner.”

Aside from pushing the envelope and bringing to light a rather taboo subject, a large amount of the motivation behind the show is to increase HIV/AIDS awareness.

A portion of the sales from the show goes to benefit Body Positive. After having worked with them before, Sciorio and gallery owner Amy Young decided they would be a great organization to benefit.

“It would be good to make people more aware of HIV,” he said. “So many people still think its one type of person. Or more so, they don’t think that it’s gonna be them. And the fact of the matter is it could be them. It could be the teacher, the electrician, it could be the banker, it could even be the midget.”

In order to keep the photos in the distinctly artistic category without approaching that oft-grey boundary between porn and art, each subject is photographed fully clothed from the shoulders up. The models are given whatever means they need to reach the big O with utter professionalism and as much space as allowed. That is until they reach the mark.

Sciorio describes how he waits around the corner until the signal is given. Sometimes it’s verbal, sometimes a wave of the “free hand” casts a shadow on the wall to show him they are approaching the mark.

“I want them to feel comfortable,” he said. “I have these real quiet running shoes that I wear so when I get the signal I can run in real quick.” He laughs about not wanting to break their concentration with the clopping of flip-flops.

Many of Sciorio’s models cancel last minute when they find out that he actually expects a real orgasm. But despite these cancellations, he remains very optimistic about this project and its success. Good or bad, any reaction to the show brings the subject into the open and furthers its success. And to the cynics that claim the O-Faces are faked, he laughs and says, “They are all real because I’ve cleaned up after every one.” He then goes on to explain that if any of the shots were faked it would be disrespectful, both to the viewer, and to the cause.

Faces of Ecstasy runs May 2-30 at Perihelion Arts at the corner of Grand Ave and Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix. Opening reception is May 2 from 6 p.m. until midnight with Sciorio in attendance. More information can be found on G’s website www.giuliosciorio.com or www.perihelionarts.com