Tuesday, July 23, 2013
DER HUND FLÜSTERER
Straddling off to Vienna, Austria for a summer gig at the famed Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Ephemeropterae 2013. Ali Jenka of Geliten Art Kollective had told me about this institution and the woman who founded it with her patrician husband from the Hapsburg Dynasty. Flying on this strange little Airline called Darling Niki which is a partner of Air Berlin. I guess its like Europes answer to Southwest Airlines as the Trolley Dollys are young and dressed very casually. The best part of this trip is an almost empty aeroplane so I have plenty of leg room with an exit row aisle seat and there are no small children or babies anywhere in sight. I lucked out. My accomodations are at a cute boutique called Hotel Kunsthof in a derelict part of Vienna that is very multi-cultural and reminds me of the Wedding area of Berlin before it got gentrified. From the outside the hotel looks like a dump but inside its actually quite glamorous in a non frilly manner. The free breakfast is quite good—simple quality cheeses, breads, cereals coldcuts, juices and strong coffee. I loved sitting out in the spacious cool garden terrace. Some icky ugly business men were eating at the same time, but thank god they left for their dreary work assignments so I had the garden mostly to myself. My first night in Vienna was invited to a country style din din at the Weinstube Josefstatd at Piaristen Gasse 27 in the 8th District. Got to the eatery early and took a ho stroll and ran into a gorgeous young man with large feet in expensive Italian sandles who recognized me in boy drag and introduced himself and said he was coming to my performance at the Ausgarten. He had the fancy name of Christophe Freiherr von Berg. Would love to chow down on his hefty package which was straining his trousers. At dinner was surprised to find the wonderous Jakob Lena Knebl wearing a skirt and Valeska Gert looking ensemble along with always amazing Hans Schirl and the gentle giants that they do their incredible performances with. Representing the institution the lovely modelesque assistant curator Miriam Kathrein with head curator Daniela Zyman who use to live in LA at the Schindler Haus and was responsible for having the Austrian government purchase it for use as an artist residence. Also met the very sweet museum coordinator Simone and her well trained and very pretty doggy Candor. After the scrumptious comfort meal the gang took me to the 25 Hours A Day Hotel Rooftop Garden Lounge for drinks and a spectacular view of the city. Unfortunately I had to be a party pooper and head back to my hotel as I was exhausted.
On the day of my performance I ate lightly as not to be bloated. I was giving my performative lecture in the Ausgarten of the museo in a sculpture designed by a Ghanian artist. I was shocked that over 500 people came out to see me. The annex of the museum is in a park not far from my hotel in an area that is off the beaten path, so people really wanted to come here to see ‘the doll’ as there is nothing else of interest in the 2nd District. Other performers who were apart of this Ausgarten series my fellow LA woman Wanda ‘Maddog’ Coleman, Blixa Bargeld, Lydia Lunch, Asdis Sif Gunnarsdottir, Antonio Caro, Lois Weinberger,Cerith Wyn Evan, Susan Stenger, John Giorno, Christian Fennesz, Anna Artaker and Chicks on Speed. After my performance there was a fabulous catered dinner in the park by Iranian temptress via Los Angeles Nessa Heschmatwho runs her own business called Nessecita
https://www.facebook.com/Nessecita?fref=ts
Here is just a partial list of those who attended my performance: Ephemeropterae 2013 curator Boris Ondreicka, Rosie Huntington-Whitely British ‘IT’ Girl, Adriano DeSouza the famous Brazilian surfer, Katja Langmaier of Zaglossus Publishing House, Prinzessin Elisabeth Auersperg-Breunner, Hugo Boss Chef Herbert Gaar, Nadja, Maria Fekter, opera diva Eva Liebau, artists Caroline Schell and Johannes Porsch who was my opening act and lived in LA where he was neighbors with my former LA Weekly collegue Sam Anson,Steffan Isser of Swarovsi Wien, Markus Hausleitner and Susanne Kriemann. Special thankx to Marcus my Austrian Mandingo blondine tech stewart and Mr. MaGoo and the great Ausgarten tech staff.
Couldn’t stay in Austria for a long time as I had to rush home for Rising Stars, Falling Stars-We Must Have Music and our screening of Luchino Visconti´s Senso starring Alida Valli, Farley Granger and Massimo Giroti. Kino Arsenal 2 was packed with only standing room and after the screening because of the warm weather we had the vino reception in at the CHEAP Gossip Studio circular bar where I got to meet Empress Stefanie Schulte Strathaus´s lovely young mother, handsome brother Tobias and his wife. It was indeed family night as film historian Marc Siegel with girlfriend actress Susanne Sachsse had his sister and niece in tow. The celebutantes included prima ballerina Trixie Schönherr aka: Beatrice Cordua and her followers that include Dr. Tonja van Helden a young dancer and academe whose work focuses on the relationship between expression, body and gesture. Dr. van Helden has been a RSFS regular with her lovely Seven Sister pal on a fellowship from Bryn Marr College. Also seen and heard: the wonderous Zach Blas with Sam Marmer, Pinar Voldas who is Turkish living in the US as the official ‘Vilem Flusser artist in residence at Transmediale and Micha Cardenas Zack´s LA based friend and collaborator who is the current resident at the Post Media Lab. Micha is also a hacktivist, poet and performer, and you can learn more about her work at these links:
http://michacardenas.org
http://twitter.com/michacardenas
http://femmedisturbance.tumblr.com
I also got to chittle chat with adoreable butch academic powerhouse Heather Love and her lovesexy NYU professor partner Mara Mills with their enchanting daughters Emma and Juliet. Piero Bellomo was looking handsome as ever with his lover Daniel Hendrickson the Scandinavian Muslim and my partner in grime, the Greek coalition of Telemachos who did my hair, make-up and styling and Hellenic Jorgos, Manuel Schubert of FilmHighlights Magazine, Uli Ziemons of Forum Expanded, Italian academic Domietta from Chicago with colleage, big peniled Arsenal projectionist Axel Lambrette, vivacious Kassa Girl Nadja with Arsenal tyro David, Israeli director Yony Leiser with a muscular Fulbright Scholar.
Just got word that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will name their firstborn son Chav.
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