La PEtite Mort

The ultimate intimacy If orgasm is the little death, is masturbation the little suicide? The title means "the little death," a euphemism for orgasm, but the womenwho exuberantly masturbate for Toronto photographer Will Santillo in thisbook are as lively a bunch as you'll ever meet. Santillo conceived theproject eight years ago to include a thorough cross section of women: youngto old, slim to thick, perfect beauties to those not considered beautifuluntil seen through his lens. The one constant would be that each woulddecide and direct how she masturbated to climax while he captured themoment. From previous projects with amateur subjects Santillo had come tobelieve that masturbation is a far more personal act than most sex playbecause it is conducted almost exclusively in private. He set out to revealthe diversity and creativity with which women approach self-stimulation,and to portray the beauty of ordinary women in the throes of orgasm—abeauty far richer than the male oriented depictions seen in pornography.Santillo says he seeks to uncover the hidden face of his subjects, andindeed, it's the faces that best show the intensity of response in theseartfully explicit photos. Dian Hanson interviewed 37 of the women, and their candid insights onovercoming inhibition, giving in to exhibitionism, and achieving orgasm infront of a stranger with a camera provide a framework for the lush,sepia-toned photos. For all who are curious about just what the woman nextdoor—or one's own wife—gets up to in her private moments, LaPetite Mort is a breath of life.