BIG SISTER
Internet Brothel in Prague
Photographs: Hana Jakrlova
Text: Taso Dirlis
George Orwell must be spinning in his grave. Not only have we brazenly disregarded his repeated warnings regarding the controlling, repressive eye of the camera, we have embraced the medium, upended it and used it as a tool to empower ourselves. The most cursory of glances at popular websites such as Youtube or Facebook prove that we have turned the „eye“ into „I“, happily, at times selfishly, airing our thoughts, actions, secrets and fantasies for all those out there in cyberspace who are curious enough to care. „Big Sister“, an obvious play on words once prophesying the ominous, omnipotent power that would destroy us all, has dedicated itself to pushing the envelope further.
For those who don't know, Big Sister is, for all intents and purposes, an upscale brothel in Prague, though one that easily separates itself from the many that can be found here. For a remarkably modest fee (one much lower than you might expect) men are able to walk through the doors and enjoy the wonders that await them inside. The catch is that, having signed a release form accepting the establishment's terms and conditions, all their exploits are recorded and broadcast live for the website's subscribers who number in the tens of thousands and watch religiously. Guests are afforded the chance, in other words, to become instant cyber celebrities, albeit of an altogether adult nature.
Initially, the most striking thing about Ms. Jakrlova's intimately observational, never judgemental series of photographs is the utter lack of lurid or upsetting activity. Where are the portly, well-to-do old men getting their kicks at the expense of poor, misguided girls who simply don't know better? Whatever happened to money for sex being something wrong, an act to be ashamed of, something that sent you straight to hell, no questions asked? What we find instead are respectful men wholeheartedly playing out their every whim and fancy with beautiful, intelligent, strong-willed women who are more than happy to indulge them. Is this really what happens in houses that were once considered to be of „ill repute“?
The answer is yes. The women in these photographs are neither slaves to economic misfortune nor lost in a tragic delirium of drugs, alcohol or anything else that might help them get through the night. What Ms. Jakrlova's steady eye captures, rather, are women preparing and conducting themselves with a concentration, mastery and professionalism one has come to expect of actors in a Broadway musical or critically acclaimed play in London's West End. They are savvy actresses in a wildly successful show that has been playing since the beginning of time, fully aware of how to work the camera and more than willing to perform the roles they have been paid to play. The men, too, are conscious of their performance, looking up at the monitors and adjusting themselves accordingly; wanting to enjoy their 15 minutes (so to speak) of fame, knowing full well their posterior is vulnerable to posterity.
There is one photograph in this collection, elegant in its firm simplicity, that captures a most telling question posed to all of Big Sister's guests: „What can give you the biggest pleasure?“ The question is a complicated one and has as many possibilities as there are those willing to consider it. Here, however, in this telling assemblage of people no different from you or I, the unequivocal answer is, „Being part of a fantastic fiction where I'm the star.“