When
Orange is the New Black Fuck Island of Mann announced his run for
office last year I think I was the only persona in Christendom who
took him seriously. I was the first to say that I don't think he
really wants to be President because there is too much actual work
involved. Even the laziest of Presidents like horny hedonist Jack
Kennedy, once they are in office wind up working their tailfeathers
to the bone,and aging accordingly.
Everyones
uncle mothers druther laughed and dismissed my queenly opinion that
Mr. Orange Ruffy actually stood a good chance of winning the
election. I hope I am proven wrong but don't forget who was it that
predicted in this very blogina the financial crisis of 2008.
I
appologize for neglecting my readers but the Fall Season is always my
most active. CHEAP kollektiv along with fearless leader Susanane
Sachsse, Marcuse Siegelstein and Daniel Nancy Hendrickson triumphed
in Prague with the CHEAP Piano Bar performative installation at the
Lucerne Theatre for the Mezipatra QFF. This year's Queer Festival
theme was The Limits of Liberty.
Bringing
the American concept of the piano bar to Prague was no easy feat, but
with the exceptionally generous sponsorship of the
Goethe
Institut Praha we accomplished the impossible. The centerpiece of the
installation being the fractured placement of a baby grand piano on a
staircase. The CHEAPy's served their own cocktails that referenced
the Czech Film New Wave, gave out chem sex Anti-Marriage narcotics to
the adventurous and even managed to subvert the eastern european
nations radiant youth who wound up leaving a fancy dress ball dance
recital to partake in the sexual shenanigans and anarchy instigated
by CHEAP with help from Ethel Waters, The Carter Family, Phoebe Snow
and the Liza Minnelli diet.
Special
thankx to Bruce “Judy” LaBruce as our very special tired old
queen celebrity guest. Judy was in top form in Prague looking fit
and trim and inspiring all the childrens heads with Judyline
witticisms as only she can. Judy was the Jury president of the
festival and being the party negro that she is was also Djaning at
the Off Limits soiree at the Chemistry Gallery. As a special event
the festival had a sold out screening of Hustler White celebrating
the films 20 year anniversary.
Lots
of attractive young people were at the opening night festivities that
included a screening of the Austrian film Tom Cat which won the Teddy
Award at the Berlinale this year. I found the acting by the feline
leads Moises and Katherina thrilling and highly emotive. And I am not
exactly a big fan of cats. I guess the moral of the film is that if
you are a bougie white couple experiencing male pattern lesbian
domesticity don't kill your lovers kitty.
Special
thanx to handsome and patrician Jakob Racek of the Goethe Institut
Praha who really understands the madness that is CHEAP, and Jakob's
wonderful colleagues Isabel and Monika.
Jakob
recommended an incredible restaurant called Lokal which had the most
exquisite Czech food. Lokal was not far from the Park Hotel where we
were housed,
Another
shoutout to Pavel Bicek the lovesexxy artistic director of the film
festival and his glorious staff of tireless professionals who gave
their all to the piano bar. Kissy kisses to Kristyna Henovsova of
OffProgram/Off Mezipatra, Jiri, Martin and our ninja security detail
headed by Frantz, make-up artistes Jan Janout, Simona Sebikova' who
made Susanne and I look like living dreamas, Veronika Koty Kova' who
styled my wig in a dramatic Betty Page Pachuca coif.
Received
several emugs from people who attended the 4 hour endurance
installation of the CHEAP Piano Bar who wanted to know about the
insane films that we screened during the evening.The anti-marriage
PSA's were made by our very own Fearless Leader Susanne Sachsse, we
also showed Hans Scheirl and Ursula Puerrer's Super 8 Girl Games,
Pierre Yves Clouin's Cul en l'air, Alicija Zebrowska's The Mystery is
Looking, Buddy Cole's Gay Marriage Clip featuring a cameo by Bruce
“Judy”LaBruce from Kids in the Hall, “Taking a Chance on Love”
number from the 1943 all-black Cabin in the Sky film by Vincente
Minnelli and the CHEAPy Underground Uber Alles Award went to the late
Vera Chytilova'.
Before
going to Prague to do CHEAP Piano Bar I was invited to Hochschule
fuer Gestaltung Offenbach Fachbereich Kunst to lecture and give a
workshop. Over 300 people crammed into a tiny lecture hall to hear
my talk which really surprised me. The wonderful Juliane Rebentisch
had been wanting to bring me to Offenbach for some time and it
finally worked out. A student group that Juliane is advisor to
pulled out all the stops in making me feel very welcome on campus and
the students in my workshop scored major homeruns in inventiveness
and focus. Special thankx to Arootin Mirzakhani, Anne Graefe and
Brenda Lien for making my time in Offenbach so rewarding and fun.
I
made a special appearance at the great Hannah Hurtzigs Mobile
Academy/Black Market Event at Hamburg's Kampnagel as well. Hannah is
one of Germany's hardest working curators and an art innovator par
excellance. I first met Hannah back in 2001 in Berlin when she was
at the Volksbuhner and I did my piece Sucking Her UnBorn Cock as part
of the Rich and Famous Festival at Prater. From the moment I met
Hannah I loved her spirit, humour and style.
I've
been a special guest at the Mobile Academy at least four times and
its always a wonderful experience because like me Hannah is all about
the details.
Juicy
kissolas to Hannah and her Blk Market Staff of Kyra, Lea, Sarah Lewis
of the famous Lewis clan and my handsome film student assistant
Maxmillian who was perfect in every way.
***
Wanted
desperately before the election results to tell you what it was like
being in Washington DC on the Elmer Occasion of being invited as a
keynote presenter at the Creative Time Summit Occupy the Future.
After
last year's New York triumph of The Magic Flute and my solo art
exhibition Come on Daughter Save Me at Invisible-Exports Gallery I
experienced a bonafide New York moment with accolades in the
press-New York Times, New Yorker Magazine, Art Forum etc. I remember
a time when back in LA in the 1980s the Los Angeles Times would only
refer to me as V. Davis if I was mentioned at all. It wasn't until I
received my first press in the NY Times in the early 1990s concerning
my zine Fertile LaToyah Jackson and the zine movement itself which
became this phenomena that the mainstream media decided to run with
as a so called predicted “next big thing”
Then
the lovely Hilton Als wrote a sweet review and profile off me in the
New Yorker in 1991 after I did a packed spoken word reading at the
old Different Light Bookstore in Greenich Village. Getting so much
press in NYC and in Europe at that time my own daily newspaper the LA
Times couldn't ignore me anymore and started to print my full name of
Vaginal Davis. So I am use to the follow the leader mentality.
After
last years success with my the CHEAP kollektiv version of The Magic
Flute I was barraged with invites to perform and also calls from
tired Hollywood TV and movie people. I had never heard of Creative
Time before, so when their creative director Nato Thompson contacted
me I asked my former student Jonathan Berger who is a child of New
York high art about Creative Time and he gave me the A-OK. I've
always been suspicious of institutions and those who work for them.
People from good families always wind up in these gatekeeper
positions. None of us pure folk ever get to sit at these tables.
Which
reminds me when I went to the poovah prep school Choate on
scholarship, it was my first encounter with the immaculate children
of WASP wealth. Getting to know the kids from the great families of
the East I was surprised at how forlorn and unloved they were. Talk
about family damage. It softened my disdain somewhat of the rich as
I realized being a welfare child, I was much better off then most of
them were. No one expected anything from me, so being an
overachiever in the gifted program in the LA Unified School District
led to my going to a fancy prep school with elites and also being the
first one in my family at University. Even though I am still poor,
and still live hand-to-mouth, at least I don't have to work a day job
as a wage slave, and I get invited to art festivals all over the
world where I am fussed over and pampered. This ghetto child has
certainly come a long way.
Arriving
at Dulles Airport on an unseasonably warm Autumn afternoon the lovely
Creative Time intern Thandowethu Miambo, a recent Barnard graduate
from Africa was there to whisk this little lady D to her spacious
suite at the Hilton Homewood in the city center just blocks away from
the White House. For a mansion the White House is surprisingly tiny.
Pretty
and stylish Thando took me to the opening nite celebration and kick
off party at Blind Whino which reminded me of the Womens Building in
the Mission District of San Francisco where I performed in the 90s at
the Dirty Bird Festival.
After
getting off of a long planeride I am always starving, and gorgeous
summit coordinator Teal Baskerville treated me to a sumpteous meal
courtesy of a Food Truck parked outside the soiree grounds.
Grub
down my gullet, white wine and a cornucopia of man candy of all
shapes, sizes and ethnicities put a Jack Pumpkinhead grin on my
giantessa face.
The
olde hairy eyeball was popping in the car ride to the party getting
to sit next to hot and lovesexy Henry Arteaga of the JKE Crew
Peligrosos of Medellin,Columbia and his very beautiful, sweet
translator Vanessa Cuervo. I sure would love to haunt Henry's HipHop
School. Shaking his muscular hand reminded me of my That Fertile
Feelings co-star Johnny Dark another Columbian tiny in stature but
muscular with a huge penis filled with delicious leche fresca.
Entertainment
at the party was provided by Michelle Blackwell and the GoGo
Allstars. Was sweet to see all the children including the juicy
Creative Time interns Karin Shankar, Jonathan Gardenshire and Alice
Ecceles enjoying
themselves on the dancefloor.
Didn't
want to be a party pooper scooper but I needed to get back to my
hotel room and wait for Hector Martinez the Swedish Mexican
Insurance executive to arrive. So sweet of Hector to take time from
his busy schedulina to come and help me at the summit. I also
needed to try and get some sleep so that I'd be somewhat fresh for
the first day of festivities.
Woke
up at 4am mega jet lagged. Little later went down to the
complimentary breakfast with Hector. The food was actually pretty
good as most American places have crappy free breakfasts unlike the
excellent ones that are standard in Europa. The only bad thing was
the coffee that tasted like a brown melted crayon in hot water. So
wonderous catching up on all the Silverlake 40 gossip with Hector. It
felt good having Hector here as my backup singer and personal Ninja
bodyguard. Hector was in the Marinecore during his youth so he can
kill with his bare hands. Lovely English Rose Lady Alice came to
fetch this Dollybird at 7:45am. Lady Alice is a recent Yale grad,
very stylish and Sloan Rangery. My performance wouldn't be till
Saturday but I came to the theatre a day early so that I could do a
soundcheck at the Lincoln Theatre where the summit would take place.
The Lincoln is a historic TOBA(Tough on Black Asses) vaudeville
circuit theatre built in 1922 in the olde Negro Quartier which is now
a gentrified area of the city. Everything was crazed for the first
day so I didn't get a chance to sound check or do a run through. Met
Nato Thompson who is a cute, dimunitive man with a Sponge Bob Square
Pants accent that I found very sweet and charming. He comes from
activist circles I gather, and seems quite sincere and excitable. On
stage he mentioned he was married with a child, but I think he has a
little sugar in his tank. I also met Katie Hollander the patrician
Executive Director of Creative Time and Sally Szwed the no nonsense
summit director. The stage set was created by the Floating Lab
Collective, and I was delighted that it would match my Rick Owens
couture Etruscan gown and shoes.
Section
One of the first day was under the theme of Occupy Power.
The
first keynote speaker was supposed to be Haneen Zoabi the Palestinian
politician who made history in 2009 when she became the first Arab
woman to be elected to Israel's parliament the Knesset. Ms. Zoabi
couldn't make it so she sent an enchanting young Palestinian woman
Layla Ashayear to read a statement for her. It was a nice way to
begin the summit and change the status quo narrative.
Jonas
Staal was supposed to give a talk and a workshop at the summit, but
was denied a visa to the USA because of his work with Syrian Kurds.
Peter Svarzbein, the attractive pepperpot Jewish/ Latino artist,
curator and media disrupter was the standout in the Occupy Power
section with his presentation on the El Paso Transnational Trolley
Project. Mr. Svarzbein warmed my heart because he put his penis were
his mouth is and ran for city counsel and won, receiving a 97 million
state grant for an intra city trolley route using the original street
cars than ran between El Paso and Juarez.
The
British art collective Liberate Tate presented how they managed to
divest the museum from receiving corporate funding through the evil
British Pertroleum Corporation.
Journal
Rappe two Senegal rappers who created a news program done entirely in
rap verse. After watching the dullard news programs on American TV
in my hotel room, switching to a rap format would be a welcome
relief.
There
was also a report from Syria by Radio Souriali, but the jet lag
started rearing its fugly head and my notes came out a jumbled mess.
I picked up some examples of digestable satire from The Great
Tortilla Conspiracy to bring home as presents. My Rick Owens gown
needed some repairing that Hector helped take care of for me thank
god, and he treated me to a wonderful luncheon at Mulebone a healthy
soul food boite that reminded me of a more upscale version of LA's
Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Loved the décor of murals depicting
Black Renaissance writer Zora Neal Hurston whose image I used on the
text of my presentation. Hector and I went back to the hotel to take
a disco nap for the remaining part of the summit but because of our
jet lag we didn't wake up till everything was over which was just as
well as I needed to concentrate on being ready for my performance
which was bright and early the next day as part of the Queer and Now
Section.
I
still didn't get a proper soundcheck, and was thrown off a bit when
the tech people bungled my soundscape but it didn't matter so much as
my visual details were strong and I looked good on stage. I felt a
little unsure about being my sections fascilitator but it actually
turned out really well as the questions I asked were more playful in
nature as I didn't feel like making direct comments on their
presentation as that would be too reductive. I had never heard of
artist Andrea Bowers who has lived in Los Angeles since 1990
originally from Ohio. She is quite beautiful and we are of the same
generation so we got along like old girlfriends. Ryan Hammond is a
youthful artist whose work explores the interplay between culture and
biology and is very personable. Sheldon Scott is an engaging local
Washingtonian who reminded me of a young Brian Freeman of Afro Pomo
Homo.
Patricia
Ariza the co-founder and director of Teatro La Candelaria and of
Corporacion Columbiana de Teatro is the pure embodiment of the
Cholita song Essays de la Mujer. She gave a rousing manifesto
presentation that had the audience in complete solidarity with her.
I
was so happy to be finished so that I could see the rest of the
program. Undressing made me miss the Report From Ukraine by Anna
Hutsol (Femen). But I did catch the hilarious Janani Balasubramanian
who is a cute energetic socio pathic scientist dealing in quantum
physics under the helm of The Case of Nonsens
The
summit was celebrating the 100 year anniversary of DaDa and so the
Austrian kollektiv Gelitin were just beyond perfect singing nonsense
Gregorian chants wearing stunning Leigh Boweryesque costumes with a
film of the kollektiv members plowing their own ceramic sculptures
with their big dicque thickeruses. The audience didn't exactly know
how to process Gelitin, I think that some were disturbed by it but in
a good way and those who got it really got it! It was nice having
some people from my own weird scene representing in DC. This was
only my second time in the state capital, and I love the city and its
very attractive denizens.
It
was great meeting in person Kenneth Tin-Kin Hung who is simply
gorgeous. He could be a movie star with his handsome face and
muscular, fit body. I would love to give him a tongue bath. Kenneth
has even collaborated with CHEAP Kollektiv on some early CHEAP
projects like Global Capitalism at the opening of HAU as a new
theatre institution. Kenneth came to the attention of CHEAP through
the Blue Bros Tim & kJohnny. When kJohnny lived in New York he
worked quite often with the amazing Mr. Hung who I am sure is the
living embodiment of his name. His presentation at the summit
called Shit Wars was pure ribald genius.
The
highlight of Day Two for me had to be Melissa Mays Report From Flint
Michigan(Water You Fighting For). Melissa reminded me of my mother
who in the late 60s when we lived in South Central LA started the
first urban gardens by taking over all these vacant lots and planting
fruit and vegetables to feed the poor people in our neighborhood.
Direct action with no frills thats what I find the most engaging way
of being an activist.
I
also loved Thomas Frank and the legendary Carrie Mae Weems who were
playfully combative during the Troubled Democracy section. Ms. Weems
wasn't featuring the tech peoples gaffes.
Hector
and I went to the Corcoran Gallery for the closing night party and
had a really nice time chittle chatting, but since I remained jet
lagged during the entire time I was in DC I was glad to get back to
the hotel room and the comfort of my large bed.
The
Creative Time Summit is a lovely art and political congress. A lot
of work went into producing it and the results were splendid. In the
future I think they should let some presentations be a little bit
longer like an hour for keynote and 20 minutes for the mini talks.
And time for proper sound checks and or rehearsals need to be
allocated. It would be difficult under the current structure, but I
think they should strive to find a way to make that happen. Well
thats my 22cents.
