After having run the Darkroom questionnaire for a few weeks, I have passed it out to friends, and they to theirs, which I thought would be the best way to get this out considering the content, and the kind of questions it asks. there have been 23 responses in total, and given the informal and open nature of the questions, I wont be able to list all answers here, but I will post a summary and some of the answers I found more interesting here.
Out of 23 responses, all but 2 had used a darkroom before
Do you enter alone, with a partner/friend, or with someone you have met at the bar?
There was a very mixed response to this question between alone, with a partner or with friends, though going alone did seem to be the general preference. I was interest in one answer to this that said "I'm always out with friends, but I'll generally duck away when people are outside smoking or on my way to the bar and detour to the darkroom alone", this suggests that this person feels the need to perhaps hide what they are doing, or at least, not let their friends know when and how they are going into the darkroom.
Describe your first time using a Darkroom, including how you felt before you entered and what lead you to go in.
"Terrified and curious" this could be another name for this project! but this seems to some up most of the responses to this question, and it fits in with my own feelings towards the darkroom as well.
There was also an answer to this question that peaked my intrigue. The person described how they were being given a tour of the Sauna, and as their "Tourguide" took them into the Darkroom, he began to try it on. The interesting part of this is that the writer notes that he wasn't that interested in this guy, however he decided to play along anyway just so things weren't awkward afterwards. This says a lot about how many of the people who visit these spaces feel about sex.
What are your thoughts on the risks associated with Darkrooms?
"Better to be doing it in a safe environment like a bar than a strangers home"
"Any gay sex has it risks but thing darkrooms are far less Risky than a cruising ground or meeting someone you’ve never met before at their house."
"There certainly are risks, and I think everyone has their own red-lines in that regard. Personally, I'm very pro-active with my sexual health and have a full screen completed every six months. My conduct within is primarily oral, which reduces some risks, and I'm happy to say I've never picked anything up from a dark room."
How do you feel about watching in the Darkroom, not just watching "action", but also watching other people waiting, or looking?
It seems about half of those who responded felt that they didn't really do this, or hadn't noticed this going on. However of those that did:
"I do this. Sometimes I just want to be the voyeur and enjoy watching others or just sometimes happy being in the atmosphere of the darkroom"
"it's interesting. It's an aspect that we don't get to see often (as I don't have access to darkrooms more than once or twice a year) watching how people interact in the environment. Some people are a lot more forward in a darkroom, and they will walk up to people they wouldn't outside of the dark room. This also means that some of the 'good looking' people, turn away people that wouldn't usually go talk to them. This can result in seeing people acting elitist and actually turning their nose up at people. The people that tend to be more likely to turn their nose up at people, in my experience often go into the dark room with their friends anyway, and will often stick to people they already know. It's interesting to watch as it can be a different dynamic to how people interact outside of the dark room, but also has some analogues to how outside of the darkroom works."
Concerning personal identity: When in the darkroom, do you feel different, like you could be someone else? Perhaps you feel more powerful, or more free, like you can be anyone you want.
Again, it seems I may be reading a bit too much into some of the interaction that goes on in the darkroom, or perhaps I am not, and the people responding to my questions just don't see it, interestingly again, there seems to be a 50/50 split.
"Due to the anonymity, you can be whatever and whoever you like. I gain massive confidence from it. Whether being watched jerking off, or sucking whatever gets in my face, or sitting on a random dick"
"Nope, feel exactly the same"
"There’s definitely a sense of freedom that everyday society doesn’t give gay men I think. We compartmentalise our affections and sexlife in mainstream society. So when i find myself in a darkroom where it’s aloud to be sexual, gay, on the prowl etc etc it is incredibly empowering. It’s definitely a happy space for me"
"Not with me. It’s more along the lines of if the person is in here they are up for fun, there’s no other reason to be there."
Responses to the question regarding "The call of the void" (High Place Phenomenon)
"I think so. I know some people who are generally pretty risk-adverse in terms of sex normally will be a little bit more willing to take risks in a darkroom. I think that's also a part of the idea of it being dark: no one can see much, so you're much more willing to do what you want and not what you feel you ought to do."
"I do yes. May first experience of entering a darkroom was similar to this"
"No"
"Definitely"
The last two answers there some up the responses to this questionnaire pretty well, there seems to be quite a disparate set of feelings and ideas among men regarding these spaces.
As I read through the responses I noticed that when it came to some of the more philosophical questions towards the end of the questionnaire, there was a bit of a divide appearing between those who could relate to the ideas I was putting forward, and those who just didn't see it at all. The people who felt that they understood, and could maybe even relate to the theory of High Place Phenomenon were also the ones who responded and agreed with the idea that a person could change or manipulate their personality when in the darkroom, and it also seems like these are the people who have spent more time in darkrooms, or have a overall more positive thought process towards them.
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