{"id":69349,"date":"2018-08-20T13:19:16","date_gmt":"2018-08-20T13:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=69349"},"modified":"2018-08-20T14:54:53","modified_gmt":"2018-08-20T14:54:53","slug":"robert-tennent-come-back-to-bed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/robert-tennent-come-back-to-bed\/","title":{"rendered":"The tender photobook providing hope and healing post-sexual assault"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11856,139],"tags":[10941,10940,6520,154,10942,4947,9415],"class_list":["post-69349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sleek-art","category-art","tag-metoo-movement","tag-come-back-to-bed","tag-photobook","tag-photography","tag-robert-tennent","tag-sex","tag-sexual-assault"],"acf":{"main_category":139,"legacy":false,"hero_title":"The tender photobook providing healing post-sexual assault","subtitle":"After a period of celibacy following an assault, New Zealander Robert Tennent took photographs of his lovers to restore his faith in intimacy","hero":{"video":false,"image":false,"header_color":"white","overlay_color":"","overlay_text_color":"white"},"teasers":{"video":false,"image":false,"width":"8","proportion":"natural"},"facebook_image":false,"related_articles":[43068,63818,62575],"next_article":[69331],"content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":false,"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Since the viral spread of the <\/span>#MeToo Movement in late 2017<\/span>, the issue of sexual harassment and assault has entered public consciousness like never before. Following his own harrowing experience of sexual assault early last year, Auckland-based fashion student and photographer Robert Tennent<\/a> felt it was necessary to volunteer his own account. \u201cAs we are living in the <\/span>#MeToo moment, it\u2019s so important to come forward with stories. We are no longer alone and have to keep quiet\u201d.<\/span> After the assault, Tennent entered a period of celibacy for several months \u2014 he had lost all interest in sex and took time to care for himself both physically and mentally. As he began to re-introduce sex back into his life after counselling, and regain trust with sexual partners again, he started to document these consensual sexual experiences by taking a photograph of his lovers after sex. What started as a personal project \u2014 \u201cI took a photo to keep for myself\u201d \u2014 developed into an intimate and thought-provoking photobook, entitled\u00a0<\/span>Come Back to Bed<\/span><\/i>,\u00a0<\/span>that revolves around the tender rediscovery of sex after assault.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I took the first image, it was a spirit of the moment feeling. I took the photo because he was handsome and I wanted to remember the moment. It was something we didn\u2019t think much about,\u201d says Tennent about the project\u2019s impetus. \u201cSix months after the first image was taken, I started writing poems and stories about the men I photographed. After editing them and drawing images to accompany the stories, I decided this would be a beautiful book to have.\u201d And, certainly, this is the case. The photographs contained within <\/span>Come Back to Bed<\/span><\/i> reveal the skin-on-skin intimacy of sex, of flesh mingling with flesh, and the vulnerability of the post-coital body. The sensitive nature of the images, which depict bodies pressed onto creased bed sheets, hands grasping at necks or limbs entangled, is heightened by the story that accompanies their making. While Tennent is clear that taking the photographs alone did not help him overcome the trauma of being assaulted, it did help him to \u201cregain trust and introduce sex back into (his) life\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":false,"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

The self-published book’s\u00a0<\/span>raw poignancy is intensified by use of an analogue camera. The subtle grains and pink-tinged haziness of the film lends the images a deeply personal quality that would not have been possible had the portraits been taken with a digital camera. \u201cThere’s something special about only having one frame and one shot,” Tennent says of his choice of medium. \u201cIt was more exciting on film because we couldn\u2019t see the images until they were developed.\u201d The resulting images beat with the warm rush of a secret shared. Their emotional weight is keenly felt by Tennent himself. \u201cThey are very private to me. I think they document how intimate my experiences were. When I finally got a physical copy of the book, I cried because it was like my very own time machine, taking me back to moments with these men.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"80","images_to_show":"1","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Beyond <\/span>Come Back to Bed\u2019s<\/span><\/i> potent sensuality, this photobook is an important document in terms of overcoming the pain of sexual assault. \u201cThe story that inspired <\/span>Come Back to Bed<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is something that could help a lot of people,\u201d confirms Tennent. \u201cI hope it will help people heal and focus on life after sexual assault.\u201d \u00a0<\/span>And what advice \u2014 if any \u2014 might he have to offer people who have had to endure a similar experience to him? \u201cI would say that I am sorry that it has happened to us. But that there is a way forward and the reality of being happy and whole again is possible. It is important to take time off to look after yourself; there is no rush and your pace is perfect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

“Come Back to Bed” is available from Robert Tennent’s website here<\/a>. You can follow him on Instagram @rob.tennent<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

All photographs courtesy of Robert Tennent.<\/p>\n"}]},"yoast_head":"\nThe tender photobook providing hope and healing post-sexual assault The tender photobook providing hope and healing post-sexual assault<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/robert-tennent-come-back-to-bed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The tender photobook providing hope and healing post-sexual assault The tender photobook providing hope and healing post-sexual assault\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/robert-tennent-come-back-to-bed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sleek Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sleekmag\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-08-20T13:19:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-08-20T14:54:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Verfasst von\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"sleek\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sleek Magazine\",\"description\":\"Sleek is Germany\u2019s leading independent media house\/brand for creativity and innovation located in Berlin the creative capital of the world. 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