Fear and Loathing in New Yorika

As World War III morphs into WW4 and beyond its strange to be in this raging metropolis staging a performative installation of the Magic Flute. Fearlesss leader of kollektiv CHEAP Susanne Sachsse and I have been working seven days a week with an outstanding crew of young talented and lovesexy artists. I am completely exhausted at all times, but what can I do? Had a break from Magic Flute when invited by Bard College’s Center for Curatorial Studies to give a formal lecture. A nice warm day to take a train out of the city to enjoy the magnifi views of the Hudson River Valley with my companions the illustrious Lia Gangitano of Particiant Inc. Gallery and the legendary downtown figure of John Kelly. So nice meeting the handsome foreign born center director Tom Eccles, Deutsch socialite Marieluise Hessel of the Hessel Museum, delightful Ann Butler who is the directrix of Bards Library and Archives. The students were all just lovely. Our train was delayed by almost two hours in returning back to Manhattan so we occupied our time in a bordello looking bar enjoying Asian fusion snacks and drinks with the ever joyous Ms Gangitano and Mr. Kelly.

I made my first appearance to NYU’s Performance Studies Dept since the death of Jose Munoz. Performance Studies is a place where I have a lot of magical memories that go back over 20 years. Susanne Sachsse and I were in conversation with professor Tavia Nyongo of the famous Kenyan Nyongo family that produced the Oscar winning actress Lupita. Tavia had just got back to New York from London so the poor dear was completely jet lagged and out of it, which was cute in a nutty professor kind of way. Tavia had taken us for a festive dinner at the incredible Mexican boite Papatzul on the day he arrived to town. At our presentation Susanne showed for the first time in Amerikkka clips from various CHEAP projects like It Happened to Me, CHEAP Blacky and Communist Bigamist---- the audience seemed to be quite interested in what we’ve been doing in Germany for the past 14 years. Scene and heard in the audience and later enjoying a wino reception: Karl McCool (from Dirty Looks) Dance Professor and writer Barbara Browning with her music collaborator Imre Lodbrog, downtown legendina Carmelita Tropicana, Robert Campbell, hunkster Malik Gaines of My Barbarian, art goddess Lia Gangitano and lover T, juicy professor Joshua Lubin-Levy, beautiful Aliza Shvarts aka: Prinzessin Pamina in the Magic Flute, Damien Davis the handsome and stately grandson of Sammy Davis Jr. and Altovise, art collector stud Mark Morgan Perez,Kalle Westerling (the blue eyed Swedish aristocratic cutie)Maria Katharina Wiedlack who I first met at a queer art conference in Oldenberg Germany who gave me a copy of her new book Queer-Feminist Punk-An Anti-Social History which I can’t wait to read, Brandon Fischer, Patrick Sweeney and The Psycho Geography Initiative, Robin Alex McDonald of the Turbines Curatorial Collective in Kingston Ontario Canada and Dan Rosen the deliciously young and perfect lover of Tavia Nyongo.



Susanne and I had only one day where we had a few hours to ourselves so we attended an exclusive cocktail party at the Chelsea Hotel of the fashion designer and creator of the Mermaidpunk TM look the delightful and sexy Nile Cmylo. Also invited to the intimate soiree fashion scribe Glenn Belverio and humpy art collector Mark Morgan Perez. Ms. Cmylo is downtown royalty, she dated Dee Dee Ramone and has worked with every known celebrity. She has lived in the Chelsea Hotel which is currently under renovation since the 1980s and was mentored by the legendary designer Charles James who also lived in the Chelsea. The fab Ms. Cmylo is a New York treasure with a gifted mind who not only understands fashion but also politics and is an enchanting storyteller and just the most fascinating woman in New York. The gossip she told us cannot be repeated here its just too scandalous. Plus she mixes some stiff cocktails that really left me mamma say knock you out! Love that New York moxy!

My solo visual art exhibition opens 2nite at Invisible-Exports Gallery at 89 Eldridge on the lower east side 6pm so stop by and say hey!

Camera Lucinda Childs Obscura

The Vagimule horsey faced cheesey dry cactus pussy is still majorly jet lagged and excremental for brains in New Yorika. Having a marvelous time with all the beautiful and talented young artists collaborating with us on this massive Magic Flute project at NYU WSE Gallery. Its been non-stop action and long, long working hours. First event was a major success as the Goethe Institut NYC invited CHEAP fearless leader Susanne Sachsse and I to do a presentation at their glorious new location in Union Square. La frau Sachsse was flawless in every way presenting her artist talk Ready For My Next Self Display that featured clips from her art installation Series Ladies, films and theatre pieces with Bruce LaBruce and CHEAP kollektiv and manifestos on female agency in theatre and film.I was shocked by the amount of people who came out on a school nite. Enjoying a post lecturina glass of vino: Wenzel Bilger the handsome and studly director of the Goethe Inst who took us for a divoon sushi dinner later in the evening. Fashion writer extroidinairet Glenn Belverio with tight bodied Spanish art collector Mark Morgan Perez, NYU's 80 WSE Gallery director Jonathan Berger, Chicano Artiste Sean Carrillo who is also the child bride of Warhol star Bibbe Hansen, the enchanting first art sisters of lower Manhattan Ela Troyano and Carmelita Tropicana, Lauren Pine aka Nurse Pain the former fetish model, and fashion coordinator for the House of Field(Before Sex&the City) who gave up the glamour life to pursue a meaningful career as a registered nurse, Brooklyn based young poet and performer Max Steele with his posse of youthquakers, Bring Your Own Body Cooper Union curators Jeanne Vaccaro and Stamina Gregory, German film ingénue and huge Susanne Sachsse fanatic David Kross with a gaggle of MIX Festival juicies one of whom has a tattoo of the face of Vaginal Davis on the lower part of his body, as well as tats of singers P.J. Harvey and Grace Jones. Lady Vaginal D wearing a Grecian styled Rick Owens couture gown, with hair by Akira Knightley was totally flattered that anyone would put her crusty mug on their torso.

The Manhattan Review of Unnatural Acts

So sorry my darling Vaginista's for not writing for so long anything new on the old blogina, but I am sooooo jet lagged here in New Yorika that other then my duties working on the NYU/CHEAP kollektiv performative installation of the Magic Flute with my fearless leader Susanne Sachsse I haven't had barely anytime to even properly breathe. I am in New York for work work and more work and not a holiday. The weather in Manhattan is warm and breezy I gather due to global warming and I am being housed in a cute railroad flat in Union Square with a terrace overlooking the park. I can't figure out how to work the TV set, but thats just one minor problema. Billy Miller of Straight to Hell Magazine who is one of the most sexiest creatures on the planet took me and Susi to the AT&T store to get lokal sim cards for our German mobile phones. Billy also treated us to Margaritas at a tiny Mexican boite, and boy did we need them. Susi usually never suffers from jet lagged but on this trip its hit her as hard as its momma say knock u out to my elderline selfsis.

Thanks a kazillion to my boss Stefanie Schulte Strathaus at Arsenal Institut fur Film und Video Kunst who hosted a wonderful Empanada dinner party for me and Scandinavian Muzlim Daniel Hendrickson at her Wrangelkiez compound that was just too divoon. Empress Stefanie's flat has a huge terrace overlooking the drug deals of Gorlitzer Park and is decorated in her lovesexy minimalist style that is just perfect in every way. I am already missing Stefanie and the humpy Muzlim jihadist Daniel who along with his hotsy totsy Italio/German lover Piero Bellomo took me for a farewell dinner at a mucho delicious Chinese restaurant on Akazien Strasse in Schoneberg. Been working so hard with my child of high art Jonathan Berger and 80 WSE Gallery angel Jess. Fashion scribe Glenn Belverio took me to this wonderful old time kosher diner on 3rd Avenue that has been in continuous operation since the 1920s. The food was cheap for Manhattan standards and so comforting. A lot of the olde style restaurants are no more here, but I am so glad that a few remain untarnished by the evils of gentrifornication. I promise to dispatch more so please be patient with me.

TIERLEXIKON

The 8th Anniversary of the Vagimule doll’s award winning performative film series Rising Stars, Fallings Stars at Arsenal Institut fur film und video kunst was thunderous with a gallant crowd of lovelies eager to see the gay shame of Louse Brooks starring in GW Pabst’s 1929 silent classique Diary of a Lost Girl which also features the legendaire lesbian firebrand Valeska Gert. Sticking around after the screening to enjoy vino, Polisch dainties and candy corn: Handsomemest man of all Europa Uli Ziemons of Forum Expanded filling in for Empress Stefanie Schulte Strathaus, Ms. Davis co-conspirator Daniel Hendrickson the Scandinavian Muzlim and special guest Eunice Martin who is the only person on the continent who can properly accompany Diary and fill out the drama with non linear musical flourishes. Eyeing each other with suspicion the folk singer Josh Ritter and big muscle tittied baby diaper of the Hidden Cameras Joel Gibb back in Berlin from Los Angeles where he was working with a black gospel choir with the handsome and lovesexy Polisch sculptor extroidinaire Przemek Pyszczek, Israeli artist Ann Oren, former prima ballerina and fabled beauty Trixie Schoenherr aka Beatrice Cordua who has moved from the Schiller kiez of Neu Koelln for new digs in KreuzKoelln along with her filmmaker husb Ludwig “Peter” Schoenherr. Escorting Trixie was Johannes Mueller the theatre director of the much discussed new production of Salome at the Sophiensaele, the odd pair of American humourist Colin Jost with the Noble Group’s CEO Yusuf Allreza, handsome bubble butt choreographer Assaf Hochman who will be traveling to the US with his juicy greek passiv tyro filmmaking lover Lil Alex Telemachos to work on a project with Catherine Sullivan, fearless leader of kollectiv CHEAP Susanne Sachsse getting ready for New York and The Magic Flute with her hunky beau the debonair film scholar Marcuse Siegelstein of the Goethe Universitaet plus an assortment of young cute University students including a bevy of stylish kids new to Berlin from Russia.
Was invited to a lovely formal dinner party for Bruce “Judy”LaBruce who is in Berlin for an entire month working on an assortment of new projects. Judyline was looking pert and suave as she has been doing yoga hyper religiously and has retained her former modern dancer body from the 1980s and 90s. The movie making lady auteur is still 100% Judy Judy Judy. Having a young Afro Cuban husband with a 14 inch penis also helps in keeping Ms. Judy LaBruce’s spirits aces high!
My former Malmo Art Akademy Norweigan student the beautiful Stine Omar of the popular indie synthe band Easter along with her gorgeous German lover Max Boss the hier apparant to the multimillion dollar Hugo Boss clothing empire and Charlie Roberts will be presenting the latest video art episode of their long running series Sadness is an Evil Gas Inside of Me Nov 4th 7pm at Galerie Koal Leipzeger Strasse 47in Stadtmitte. The Vagimula contributed to the narration vocals as this version of the serial was filmed on location in Los Angeles while Easter was touring North and South Amerikkka.

Das Leben Studieren Die Welt Erforschen

The poor Vagimule doll has been sidetracked by an attack of gout which couldn’t have come at a worse time as she is in a frenzy getting ready to assault the US for a month of appearances is her birth country including the installation of The Magic Flute and her solo offering Come On Daughter Save Me at Invisible-Exports.  Sunday is the 8^th year anniversary of Rising Stars, Falling Stars at Arsenal Institute fur film und Video Kunst so come on down to see a rare screening of G.W. Pabst Diary of a Lost Girl starring Louise Brooks with a rollicking wine reception after the screening.  Below is the link to the radio broadcast with la diva and Manuel “Vicki Baum” Schubert of the Taz.

 http://bit.ly/1LHIrKx

Here is the latest cute missive from that extroidinaire young artiste Elly Clark:

Camden Encounters & Sergina: Memories, Collaboration & Drag

This year I have focussed on two projects: Camden Encounters, a 12-month long commission from Camden Council in celebration of 50 years since the formation of the Borough in its current form, and #Sergina, a drag queen character I have developed over the past few years, who sings and performs songs about love, sex and cell phones - alone and with others.

Whilst Camden Encounters involves very physical interactions and negotiations with the city in order to gather people's 'Sticky Memories' from nooks and crannies of Camden through a series of face-to-face encounters at the sites of these memories, Sergina's collaborations tend to happen mostly online. For my upcoming multi-performer, multi-location performance entitled Sergina's Stimulatingly Sexy Simultaneous Simulation of Herself, which is taking place on two consecutive days in November, (at the opening of RIGHT HERE/RIGHT NOW at The Lowry on 11th and at SHOUT festival in Birmingham on 12th,) I have the great honour (and pleasure) to work with an array of massively brilliant people in a variety of cities, without whom this performance would not be possible.

Performers for Sergina's Sexy.. include Liz Rosenfeld (Berlin), Kate Spence (Birmingham), Raul de Nieves (Brooklyn), Vladimir Bjelicic (Belgrade). Plus I have Roseanna Velin doing makeup, Patricia Muriale on costumes and Kanchi Wichmann and Trevor Pitt are both helping to lick songs into shape. 

From The Lowry on 11th November the performance will be live streamed via This is Tomorrow, so you have the chance to watch it on a screen near you, from wherever.

For Camden Encounters, the end destination is the official Camden50 website, to which I am uploading the edited interviews one-by-one. Last month I gave a live presentation of the project at The Roundhouse, along with three of my participants: Ruth Ingram, Hannah Morris, Ubah Egal and Gill Watson (going online next week!). On 30th November the commission will be brought to a close with a public presentation in Camden Town Hall.

Other news includes the (first ever cinema) screening of 3 Sergina films at the Scottish Queer International Film Festival (#SQIFF2015) in Glasgow next weekend, as part of a shorts programme called 'Anxiety Sucks.' And, for those in Berlin, I'm doing a (solo) performance on 25th October, in Bethanien, at the Finissage of 25 Karat by this year's Goldrausch Künstlerinnen programme participants.

More info about dates & places of all these is below.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you at one event or the other before long!

Best wishes,

Elly

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ellyclarke.com / georgerichmondproject.com / camden50.co.uk / 
@elly_clarke / #Sergina