Achtsamkeit
Was invited almost two years ago to come and give a lecture and workshop at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Art in Copenhagen. So with absolutely no time for recovery from being on the Theft Coast I was off to Denmark.
The curator Cecilie Schmidt is a Phd fellow in Theater and Performance Studies. My trip was also hosted by Curriculum an independent public school of performance art, which presents lectures of important figures of international performance art. Invited are researchers and practitioners: physically involved co-authors of the herstory of the performance art genre, which is based on the crisis of the subject; a genre that oscillate between performing and visual arts, unfolds in the grey zone between the black box and the white cube. Public lectures are held at various institutions: in the art gallery, at the university, at the academy and in the theatre. Curriculum is supported by the Danish Arts Council, Goethe Institut Kopenhagen in collaboration with Tarnby Tory 7.
My accomodations were provided by Guldsmeden Axel Hotel near the central train station in the red light district. The hotel breakfast was most excellent and the staff were congenial and helpful. On the day that a photographer came to take my picture for the Danish daily Dagbladet Information a Taz like newspaper the entire hotel staff seemed to jump into buzz mode to make sure that the international celebrity was being properly taken care of.
At my artist talk it was SRO with my former Malmo Art Academy student C. Maria Norman in attendance with her entourage that included photographers Rasmus Raphaelle and Johan Lundin, the young beautiful journalist Pauline Bendsen who interviewed me after the talk told me there were a lot of Danish celebs in the audience including film director Lars von Trier, actors Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Coster-Waldov from Game of Thrones, singer Lukas Graham, tennis star Caroline Wozniacki and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich. I had gotten an email from my old pal Viggo Mortensen who is Danish that he would be in Copenhagen and would attend, but I didn’t see him. You’re probably wondering how a Lord of the Rings movie star is connected to Vaginal Davis. Well Viggo use to be married to my dear friend Exene Cervenka of the LA punk band X, and they have a child together named Henry who is grown up now.
The Framing the Freakazoid Workshop I conducted was held in the suburbs at this very interesting mid century space called Tarnby Torv. One of the participants in my workshop the young curator and former fashion model Lotte would come every morning to my hotel and fetch me and take me to the space. Thank god for Lotte, without her I would never have found the place. Lotte is an independent curator who got her start working with Berlin’s SAVVY Contemporary before it moved to its current location as part of the silent green Kulturquartier compound.
I am also in debt to Andreas Liebmann who runs the Tarnby Torv space. Somehow my needs for the workshop weren’t communicated in advance but Andreas valiantly came to my rescue.
Taking part in the workshop was a very interesting and brilliant group of students and working artists that included Daniel Molholt, Meleat Fredickson, Ida Bogedal Jorgensen, Jurgen Calesen aka: Miss Fish, David Winfield Norman, Mulia Cecachal, Manon Siv, and Eira Frojdl.
Special thankx to my London gallerist Dan Gunn, The Love Camel aka Andrea Novarin, Cecilie, Amalia Kasakove for getting me from the aeroport to the hotel and to the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and the gorgeous and personable Miss Lotte.
Here is more information on upcoming events at Tarnby Torv:
Tarnby Torv Festival Program 2018
Wednesday November 14th
Opening Ritual – Andreas Liebmann
InElipses – DuquesnayLavrennikov and Crew
Wish You Were Here – Jon Hoff
Thursday Novemember 15th
Debate – Wouter Hillaert and guests
Friday November 16th
E.E. in Tarnby – Boaz Barkan, Nicolai Dahl-Hamilton, Andreas Liebmann, Dorthea Boyi and Tarnby citizens
Saturday November 17th
Teenage panel – Tarnby Teenagers
Philosophy for Kids – Rudi Gomez de Mello, Manon Siv Duquesnay and Tarnby kids
Children performance
Flying Tarnby – Pneuma Szov
Party Volumes – Karin Bergman, June Lysjo and Lukas Racky
Sunday November 18th
Tarnby Spiser – Refugees Invite for Lunch
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When I was still in Los Angeles I received a sweet emug message from the great ECO Sexual team of Annie Sprinkles and Beth Stephens. Annie and Beth are two of my most favourite people in the world. Besides being sexy and charming they are really committed to making permanent change to our planet for the better. Their latest project is a film called Water Makes Us Wet which is an Eco Sexual Adventure. The film screened in Los Angeles right after I left town, but it will be going on the road so make sure to see it when it comes to your town and support Annie and Beth who are the hardest working artists in the cosmos. For more information when the film is in your area go to these web sites: watermakesuswet.org and juno films.com which is the film’s distributor.
