Mechanophilia

Mechaphilia ^[1] or Mechanophilia is a paraphilia involving a sexual attraction to machines such as bicycles,^[2] motor vehicles,^[3] helicopters,^[4] and aeroplanes.^[5] It is treated as a crime in some nations with perpetrators being placed on a sex offenders’ register after prosecution.^[6] Motorcycles are often portrayed as sexualized fetish objects to those that desire them.^[7]

Art, Culture and Design

Mechanophilia has been used to describe important works of the early Modernists such as the 1922 FEKS "Eccentric Manifesto" [3] of Leonid Trauberg, Sergei Yutkevich, Grigori Kozintsev and others,^[8][9] a modernist avant garde movement that spanned Russian futurism and constructivism. The term has entered into the realms of science fiction and popular fiction.^[10]

Scientifically, in 'biophilia, The Human Bond with Other Species', Edward O. Wilson is quoted describing mechanophilia, the love of machines, as "a special case of biophilia",^[11] whereas psychologists such as Erich Fromm would see it as a form of necrophilia^[12] Designers such as Francis Picabia and Filippo Tommaso Marinetti have been said to exploited the sexual attraction of automobiles.^[13]

Culturally, critics have described it as an "all pervading" within contemporary Western society and that is seems to overwhelm our society and all too often our better judgement".^[14] Although not all such uses are sexual in intent, the terms are also used for specifically erotogenic fixation on machinery ^[15] and taken to its extreme in hard core pornography as Fucking Machines.^[16] This mainly involves women being sexually penetrated by machines for male consumption,^[17] which are seen as being the limits of current sexual biopolitics.^[18] Arse Elektronika (organized by Austrian art-tech group 'monochrom') is propagating a DIY/feminist approach to sex machines.^[19]

Authors have drawn a connection between mechanophilia and masculine militarisation, citing the works of animator Yasuo Ōtsuka and Studio Ghibli.^[20]

In Frank Zappa's rock opera, Joe's Garage, the titular character is claimed to be an "appliance fetishist" by the Church of Appliantology and has a homosexual relationship with an industrial vacuum cleaner.

Documentaries

• My Car is my Lover (2008)^[21]

See also

• Object sexuality
• Technosexual

Further reading

• 'Mechaphilia: Sexual Attraction to Machines', Schlessinger. Please Press, 2003.
• 'Biophilia, The Human Bond with Other Species', Harvard University Press, 1984. (P. 116)
• 'Forensic and Medico-Legal Aspects of Sexual Crimes and Unusual Sexual Practices', Anil Aggrawal. CRC Press; 2008. ISBN 1420043080 (P. 376)
• 'The Future of Fucking Cyberschtup Pioneers Test-drive High-tech Sex Machines', Jessica Handley. Hustler, August 2000.^[22]

References

1. ^ Weirdly Beloved: Tales of Strange Bedfellows, Odd Couplings, and Love Gone Bad. Cynthia Ceilán, The Lyons Press, 2008. ISBN 1599214032
2. ^ Man who had Sex with Bike in Court
3. ^ Man who's had sex with 1000 cars gives new meaning to auto-erotic
4. ^ Man admits having sex with 1,000 cars
5. ^ Objects of special devotion: fetishism in popular culture, Ray Broadus Browne. Popular Press, 1982. ISBN 087972191X
6. ^ Sex crimes and paraphilia, Eric W. Hickey. Prentice Hall, 2005. ISBN 0131703501. P. 91
7. ^ Thompson, Steven L. The Arts of the Motorcycle: Biology, Culture, and Aesthetics in Technological Choice. Technology and Culture - Volume 41, Number 1, January 2000, pp. 99-115
8. ^ A Shostakovich companion by Michael Mishra. Praeger 2008 ISBN 031330503X P. 446
9. ^ Modernism: an anthology of sources and documents By Vassiliki Kolocotroni, Jane Goldman, Olga Taxidou. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
10. ^ Unleashing the Strange: Twenty-First Century Science Fiction Literature, Damien Broderick. Borgo Press, 2009. ISBN 1434457230
11. ^ Animal subjects: an ethical reader in a posthuman world, Jodey Castricano. Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2008. ISBN 0889205124
12. ^ Environmental Problem Solving: Psychosocial Barriers to Adaptive Change By Alan Miller. Springer, 2003. ISBN 0387402977
13. ^ Design and Emotion, Deana McDonagh. CRC Press, 2003. ISBN 041530363X
14. ^ Texts on type: critical writings on typography By Steven Heller, Philip B. Meggs Allworth Press, 2001. ISBN 1581150822
15. ^ Wired: Schreber as Machine, Technophobe, and Virtualist. Mark S. Roberts, Vol. 40, No. 3, Experimental Sound & Radio (Autumn, 1996), pp. 31-46, The MIT Press
16. ^ The Postmodern Presence: Readings on Postmodernism in American Culture and Society, Arthur Asa Berger. AltaMira Press, 1998. ISBN 076198980
17. ^ The Naked Truth: Internet Eroticism, M Bonik, A Schaale. Institute of Network Culture, 2005. ISBN 978-90-78146-03-2
18. ^ Sampling (hetero)sexuality: diva-ness and discipline in electronic dance music, Susana Loza. Popular Music (2001), 20:3:349-357 Cambridge University Press, 2001
19. ^ [1]
20. ^ The Anime Machine: A Media Theory of Animation By Thomas Lamarre
21. ^ [2]
22. ^ Presence and Sexuality, Matthew Lombard, Matthew T. Jones. Temple University, 2004.