The idea is for artist Shu-Lea Cheang to film couples who volunteer to have sex in the tent. Organizers of the Quart Festival in Kristiansand on Norway's south coast claim the project aims to focus public attention on the public sector's AIDS policies.
The tent has been set up in a restricted area on festival grounds. Organizers say that will limit visibility from the general public at the festival, which has attracted thousands of fans and top name musicians this year such as Alicia Keys, Sean Paul and Morrisey.
Reaction to the sex tent is decidedly mixed. While some young festival goers say they'd gladly "perform" for Cheang in the tent, others dismiss the project as a "PR stunt" from festival organizers.
Some local politicians go much further in their criticism, saying the sex tent art project is a good argument for shutting down the festival.
Acting Mayor Bjarne Ugland called festival chief Toffen Gunnufsen in to answer questions about the sex tent. Gunnufsen told newspaper Aftenposten Aften that the project actually is part of a larger project called Club Detox, which even the city government supports.
"That makes it good enough for Quart," Gunnufsen said.
Artist Shu-Lea Cheang expressed surprise that the project has sparked so much controversy. "Those who participate sign a contract before going into the tent," Shu-Lea Cheang told local newspaper Fædrelandsvennen.
