PRESS RELEASE, October 6, 2010
Love Art Laboratory, San Francisco, Ca.
LOS ANGELES, CA.-- Hundreds of "ecosexual" artists, academics, famous sex workers, and environmental activists are heading to Los Angeles for a Purple Wedding to the Moon, the brainchild of artist-brides, Annie Sprinkle and Elizabeth Stephens. This will be their sixth large-scale, ecology inspired wedding. "The environment has always been our creative partner, as in 'ashes to ashes, dust to dust,' says Elizabeth Stephens, an art professor at the University of California in Santa Cruz, whose personal roots lie in West Virginia where mountaintop removal mining runs rampant. "In a twist on the traditional marriage vows, each of our eco-themed weddings is an invitation for people to 'promise to love, honor, and cherish the Earth, Sky, Sea and Moon until death brings us closer together forever'." Annie Sprinkle, Ph.D., a porn star turned eco-sexologist emphasizes the fecundity of the earth; she links fertility and imagination. "We aim to make the environmental movement a little more sexy, fun and diverse through art." Purple Wedding to the Moon will be held at FarnsworthPark's outdoor amphitheater in Altadena, Los Angeles, on October
23rd, the
night of the full moon.
Ecosexual theorist Serena Anderlini, PhD, will announce the HoneyMOON Symposium as a homage to our hostess Gaia, the third planet. "A world where it is safe to love is a world where it is safe to live."
http://www.loveartlab.org.
Four hundred guests are expected to attend and over one hundred artists will collaborate on the creation of the wedding. The unorthodox union will be officiated by the popular performance artist Reverend Billy, accompanied by the Church of Life After Shopping Choir-- the subjects of the documentary film, What Would Jesus Buy? produced by Morgan Sperlock. Reverend Billy's sermons and activism about the "Shopocolypse," over-consumption, and corporate greed have gotten him arrested dozens of times.
Stephens, Sprinkle and Reverend Billy got upset when they learned that N.A.S.A. had bombed the moon prospecting for water. They wondered "why can't we just take better care of the water here on Earth?" "We wanted to do something," cried Stephens. "So we are marrying the Moon, but it's really also about loving the Earth." Last year Sprinkle and Stephens married the Sea in Italy at the Venice Biennale. They have also married the Earth in Croatia and the Sky in England. The wedding participants now number in the thousands. Reverend Billy is taking his new Earth-allujah! show on the road, premiering Oct. 21 at the Disney Theater. http://www.revbilly.com/events/cali-tour
For the honeymoon, the movers and shakers of this budding ecosexuality movement will hold the world's first Ecosex Symposium at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, the day after the wedding. "We'll switch the metaphor from 'Earth as mother,' to 'Earth as lover,' to garner a more reciprocal relationship with our beautiful planet. We'll explore what ecosexuality is about from many perspectives: with panels, performances and moon pies. "All adults are welcome." Stephens and Sprinkle say enthusiastically. Cindy Baker, an artist from Canada, will unfurl the world's first ecosexual pride flag.
The artist-brides are looking for a few more sponsors and collaborators. On board are California Institute of the Arts, GT's Kombucha, Center for Sex and Culture, Good Vibrations, ONE Amazon Acai, and Luna Pads. They also invite individuals to contribute as backers through the Kickstarter fundraising platform. In exchange, backers get their names in the wedding program, moon-shaped tit prints, and Beth Stephens' sculptures of Annie Sprinkle's bronzed panties!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/152588950/purple-wedding-to-the-moon-and-ecosex-honeymoon-sy
"Unfortunately our marriage to the Moon will not be legal." the brides lament. "Nonetheless it is a most sacred union." They request that everyone please wear purple. The wedding is free and open to the public, "its a big, juicy, pollen-amourous labor of love."
Some of the many performers and artists participating (in random order) are blues diva, Kandye Cane; professor and art-activist, Larry Bogad; ecosexual opera singer, Emma McNairy; flower boy/girl, Adam Harms; songstress, Kim Mears; fire hula-hooper, Sarah Starlight & Co; burlesque sensation and fire tassel queen, Lady Monster; songwriter, Xandra Coe; disgruntled heiress Naomi Pitcarin, Balkan seveda singer , Nada Miljkovic; performance artist Lian Amaris; film maker, Cheryl Dunye; Jordanian food artist, Diala Khasawnih; experimental musican, no.e sunflowrfish; tattoo performance, The Book Club; music composer, HB3; sex worker activist, Mariko Passion; Good Times magazine editor, Greg Archer; cake and puppet artist Pratbha; ritualist, Alan Tofelson; sexpert Jayme Waxman, flag artists Cindy & KC Baker, drag queen, Miss Prick, a troupe of Cal Arts students, Dylan Bolles, Hate Bear, newlywed artists, Jordan Tynes and Taylor McVay and many others. Directed by Bonnie Cullum.
Some of the Ecosex Symposium presenters and artists: Ecosexual relationship coach and author, Deborah Taj Anapol Ph.D.;
humanities professor author of seminal ecosex theory, Gaia and the New Politics of Love, Serena Anderlini, Ph.D.; Good Vibration's eco-sexologist, Dr. Carol Queen, Ph.D.; Hawaiian gender-queer porn star, Jiz Lee; performance artist, Tania Hamidi; ecosex comedian, EcoElf; Blisscoach University's Kamala Devi & Tantra Theater Group; ecosexologist, Dr. Robert Lawrence, Ph.D.; Israeli ecosexual art magazine editor, Ms. Use; artist, C. Finley; blogger, ecosex radio host, Spyce Spycey, and others to be announced. Moderated by adult film director/star, Veronica Hart.
Annie Sprinkle & Elizabeth Stephens' Purple Wedding to the Moon
Purple Wedding to the Moon
Officiated by Reverend Billy with the Church of Life After Shopping Choir
Saturday, Oct. 23, 2010
FarnsworthPark Amphitheater, Los Angeles (Altadena), CA
Gather: 6:00 PM, Ceremony: 6:30-8:00, Reception: 8:00-9:30
Ecosex Symposium Honeymoon
October 24th. 3:00-6:00 Panels, performances, moon pies.
Highways Performance Space, Santa Monica, Ca.
http://www.highwaysperformance.org/
Follow unfolding events at Poly Planet GAIA, http://polyplanet.blogspot.org
Courtesy of Ecosex Non-Profit 3WayKissAdults only.
PRESS PHOTOS of the bride-artists, Elizabeth Stephens & Annie Sprinkle are available for download at http://loveartlab.org/press-gallery.php
FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://www.loveartlab.org.
A complete list of performers, artist collaborators and symposium panelists will be posted soon.
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