Relationships

Hollywood makes orgasmic moments look impossibly sexy. But in real life, exquisite ecstasy is often anything but attractive.

Photographer and video artist Robbie Cooper, who previously documented the faces of video gamers lost in their virtual worlds, is back with a stirring exhibit that captures ordinary faces lost in the heights of orgasm.

And let me tell you, the picture isn't always so pretty. It turns out our "O-Faces" may look more like grimaces, yawns or "I-think-I'm-about-to-puke" frowns.

Frankly this terrifies me, as I DO NOT WANT TO THINK ABOUT my own facial expressions at certain moments in time. Don't we already have enough to stress about in the looks department? Should I be practicing my O-Face form in the mirror as if it were a new Pilates move?

Cooper's installation is called the Immersion Porn Project. Because he records his subjects discussing - and then watching - porn. Wallpaper.com has an exclusive (utterly NSFW!) excerpt of those interviews intercut with their, um, climactic conclusions.

The whole business is far more artistic/intellectual/clinical than titillating. The subjects aren't styled or sexed up. They're seated in front of a plain backdrop, devoid of any alluring accoutrement. But the depth and detail of the photography, as well as the taboo nature of the chats, lends the project an erotic intimacy. It's also an intriguing excursion into the role pornography plays in contemporary American culture.

No doubt about it, the Immersion Porn Project is art. And we shall fear no art! Even when it creates an O-Face panic.

Because we wouldn't want you to go home empty handed (pun definitely intended), here are a few of our favorite O-Face flicks:

Office Space - Official birthplace of the O-Face

When Harry Met Sally - No matter how many times you've seen it, Meg Ryan demonstrating her fake O-Face for the benefit of Billy Crystal is comedy gold. 

Nine ½ Weeks - Between the kitchen scene, the fan scene, the stripping scene and the clock scene, Kim Basinger spends this movie wearing a permanent O-Face.

Y Tu Mama Tambien - This sexy coming-of-age film documents the quest of two young men for adventure, life and of course, their very first O-Faces.

The English Patient - Few things are sexier than Kristin Scott Thomas' O-Face as she's taken by Ralph Fiennes in the hallway during a Christmas party as Silent Night plays solemnly in the background.

Here's the link because it's apparently too racy and you have to prove to YouTube that you're legal.

Read more about love and sex: Porn in the Dominican and Sexual Fantasies: Are You "Normal"?