Naked Models, Blindfolded Photographer, Erotic Art

Back in April, when we were in Toronto for the Feminist Porn Awards, one of the coolest things we saw was "Maybe He's Gifted," an erotic short film by Canadians Maxwell Lander and Beau Charlie (which, incidentally, picked up the Golden Beaver Award for Canadian Content at said awards show). This post is not about that movie, but it is about another, equally cool project done by Maxwell Lander.

At first glance, The Blindfold Project appears to be just another series of naked photos, no different from any other. But dig deeper, and it gets more interesting. That blindfold in the headline? It's referring to a blindfold worn by Lander herself as she photographed her subjects, breaking down the traditional dynamic between the photographer and photographed—and giving the models the freedom to explore their bodies and their sexual selves, freed from the eye of the photographer (if not the eye of the camera).

Fascinating stuff, no? And it gets better: rather than keep her photos to herself, Lander has shared The Blindfold Project with the greater public, in both book and t-shirt form. Now if we could just get "Maybe He's Gifted" to stream to our DVR, we'd be set for life.

· See more photos from The Blindfold Project (maxwellander.ca)
· Buy the Blindfold Project book and t-shirt (maxwellander.ca)