ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Luca Susac
Luca Susac (they/he) is a queer sex product designer from California, who early on, faced the ways that a limited sex education in an inherently binary, heteronormative society can affect how and if one explores their identity. Not to mention the lack of education regarding any kinks, BDSM, or fetishes: even in the context of safe practices. When they noticed this vastly vague and neglected conversation they knew it was something to get involved with.
Before coming out as queer, Luca explored the idea of defining themselves as asexual, this concept was overturned as they realized that they simply weren’t sexually attracted to men. Years later, Luca realized that this misconception was not only groomed by the sex education that they received, but also by the pressure to conform to this binary and heteronormative society. As Luca began exploring their gender and sexuality they realized that the ideas of sex and gender as we know them needs to be redefined. Not only does Luca work to conceptualize these miseducations, but they work to create a more open minded space where one can explore the full spectrum of gender, sexuality, and kinks/fetishes.
When Luca was studying Product Design (known professionally as Industrial Design) at Parsons, they couldn’t quite find a niche that felt right. While their classmates enjoyed designing lighting, chairs, toys, shoes, etc, Luca was struggling to find something that fit their interests. During this time they began analyzing their gender and sexuality on a deeper level, and it was these conversations within queer communities and with their queer friends sparked a passion for the subject within Luca. In their junior year, Luca began shifting their work more toward sex toy design and this spark only grew, and quickly. At first, they struggled to verbalize their ideas for fear of judgment, but this anxiety only opened their eyes more to the importance of the work.
Luca’s work tailors to different aspects of sex that need improvement or have room for redesign. One of the key components of their work is normalizing the conversations we have around sex. Something they noticed early on was how people, even their peers, shied away from the topic of sex. When they were getting into sex toys, Luca would often attempt to have conversations with folks about sex as a concept and personal experience; They noticed almost immediately that even the most open-minded people’s voices would soften if they knew people were within earshot. This encouraged Luca to speak even louder.
Because sex is such a taboo subject, Luca’s work aims to create a safe and engaging space where people can talk, learn, and question everything. In particular, Luca enjoys shedding light on specific kinks/fetishes that have been demonized or other-ised by our culture. As of now, they have made products that cater to kinks such as: restraint, impact play, pet play, dominance and submission, voyeurism, and knife play, to name a few. Luca only plans to learn more about the BDSM and kink communities and find ways to represent them through revolutionary design.
If you have ideas or want to engage in the work, feel free to reach out to them via email. They also plan on starting a podcast to share the conversations that they have around intimacy, partnership, sex, and much more: keep an eye out, and if you would like to be in an episode or submit a question visit the ‘MORE’ tab on xxcurricular.com.
Before coming out as queer, Luca explored the idea of defining themselves as asexual, this concept was overturned as they realized that they simply weren’t sexually attracted to men. Years later, Luca realized that this misconception was not only groomed by the sex education that they received, but also by the pressure to conform to this binary and heteronormative society. As Luca began exploring their gender and sexuality they realized that the ideas of sex and gender as we know them needs to be redefined. Not only does Luca work to conceptualize these miseducations, but they work to create a more open minded space where one can explore the full spectrum of gender, sexuality, and kinks/fetishes.
When Luca was studying Product Design (known professionally as Industrial Design) at Parsons, they couldn’t quite find a niche that felt right. While their classmates enjoyed designing lighting, chairs, toys, shoes, etc, Luca was struggling to find something that fit their interests. During this time they began analyzing their gender and sexuality on a deeper level, and it was these conversations within queer communities and with their queer friends sparked a passion for the subject within Luca. In their junior year, Luca began shifting their work more toward sex toy design and this spark only grew, and quickly. At first, they struggled to verbalize their ideas for fear of judgment, but this anxiety only opened their eyes more to the importance of the work.
Luca’s work tailors to different aspects of sex that need improvement or have room for redesign. One of the key components of their work is normalizing the conversations we have around sex. Something they noticed early on was how people, even their peers, shied away from the topic of sex. When they were getting into sex toys, Luca would often attempt to have conversations with folks about sex as a concept and personal experience; They noticed almost immediately that even the most open-minded people’s voices would soften if they knew people were within earshot. This encouraged Luca to speak even louder.
Because sex is such a taboo subject, Luca’s work aims to create a safe and engaging space where people can talk, learn, and question everything. In particular, Luca enjoys shedding light on specific kinks/fetishes that have been demonized or other-ised by our culture. As of now, they have made products that cater to kinks such as: restraint, impact play, pet play, dominance and submission, voyeurism, and knife play, to name a few. Luca only plans to learn more about the BDSM and kink communities and find ways to represent them through revolutionary design.
If you have ideas or want to engage in the work, feel free to reach out to them via email. They also plan on starting a podcast to share the conversations that they have around intimacy, partnership, sex, and much more: keep an eye out, and if you would like to be in an episode or submit a question visit the ‘MORE’ tab on xxcurricular.com.