Homes in suburban areas, seemingly ordinary, serving as locations for adult film productions
American photographer Larry Sultan's significant work, "The Valley", offers a nuanced and intimate look into the adult film industry in California's San Fernando Valley. The series, published as a book in 2004, consists of 68 colourful photographs that showcase both the terrain and personal spaces where the industry thrived.
Inspired by a shoot about the daily life of a porn star for the men's magazine Maxim, Sultan's series blends documentary and staged photography, revealing how the ordinary suburban environment of the Valley intersected with the adult film world. Sultan aimed to delve into the tension between public perception and private reality, moving away from the sensationalism often associated with pornography.
The series highlights familiar suburban scenes and domestic interiors that doubled as film sets, reflecting the industry's embeddedness in everyday life. This approach allows viewers to reconsider assumptions about the adult film industry and the people involved, illuminating complexities and contradictions in the community and culture of the San Fernando Valley, a major hub for pornography production in the 1990s.
One of the standout images in the series is the portrait of adult film actor Sharon Wild. Taken between takes in a makeshift bedroom with vibrant purple curtains and a worn and dirty mattress, the photograph captures an off-dramatic moment, making it "almost contra film stills." The dracaena tree in the corner of the photograph is fake, adding to the theatricality of the scene.
Sultan's presence is acknowledged by Wild in this portrait, with her making direct eye contact with the camera. The rooms' props, such as a single lamp and a brown suitcase on a rack, evoke a barest sense of setting and narrative. In production studios, Sultan focused on the sets' incongruities, such as curtains pushed back to reveal set walls and haphazardly assembled furniture.
The portrait of Sharon Wild is currently on view at Yancey Richardson's eponymous gallery in New York for its 30th anniversary show. Sultan's work continues to challenge stereotypes by presenting the industry not just as a sensational subject but as part of the broader cultural and physical landscape. "The Valley" blurs the boundaries between reality and performance, the personal and the professional, encouraging a more nuanced understanding of identity, labor, and place in modern suburban America.
The series, "The Valley," by American photographer Larry Sultan, offers an intriguing blend of lifestyle and entertainment, delving into the daily lives of adult film actors living and working in the San Fernando Valley, California. Sultan's portrait of adult film actor Sharon Wild, taken in a theatrical yet intimate setting, highlights the complex relationship between reality and performance, challenging cultural stereotypes and offering a nuanced exploration of modern suburban life.
