Upcoming shows, love
and a magic lantern
I’ll be performing twice next month, on the 6th and 30th of December. One is a benefit show and album release for a friend’s band; one is a solo show of new films and performances. Masks are required at both events. If you’re in Chicago, I hope to see you there! Scroll down for more info :)
Over the summer, I was invited to contribute to Prison/Prism, a project by Chicago Books to Women in Prison. The project is a zine release by women and trans artists both inside and outside of the US carceral system. Journals and coloring books are some of CBWP’s most requested items, and Prison/Prism will offer space for coloring, journaling and connection.
I’ve been thinking a lot about caretaking, non-transactional reciprocity and the liberatory power of love recently (and always) as I recover from an elective double mastectomy. My friends and partners have showed up in ways I hardly dared dream possible. I feel profoundly changed by the experience, and my deepest longing is that this kind of loving, consistent support be available to everyone, everywhere.
While in many ways, we live far from this reality, it is also true that many of us (more every day) are living by these means, towards these ends, already. We are the ones we have been waiting for, as June Jordan declared to the United Nations in 1978. Drawing this coloring book page, I imagined the joy in setting our own spirits free, and the wishes we might grant ourselves, once unshackled. Notably: we is plural.
If you’d like to send love to LGBTQ+ people behind bars, I hope to see you at the Pushing Envelopes holiday card party, on December 15th at the Chicago Freedom School, 714 S State St, 4th floor. The event runs from 12:30-5:30pm, and you can follow Pushing Envelopes on Instagram for more information.
Upcoming shows:
Clair’s Lobotomy EP release with Lark Lyra Lou, Kezia Waters, olula negre
Friday, December 6th at Tritriangle, 1550 N Milwaukee Ave, 3rd floor. Doors at 8, show at 8:30. $10-15 suggested donation. The majority of proceeds from this show will go directly to support families in Gaza.
At this event, I will tell a story about a group discussion where everyone is tripping. My tools include an overhead projector, some lights, my body and my sense of humor. The performance I debut at this event will be excerpted from the longer piece I am creating for:
Off Center: Uzi’s Party and New Works by Lark Lyra Lou Hill
Monday, December 30th at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N State St. 6:00pm. Tickets are $14.50 or less with a membership, as a student or a senior. For student/senior discounts, tickets must be purchased in person.
I am super excited about this show and working hard on three new pieces. The aforementioned overhead projector story (with more doodads in its final form), a 16mm film with live noise accompaniment (in collaboration with Charly Heath), and a S8mm film (transferred to 4K digital) compiled from love notes sent and received across the years. This is also a chance to see the classic Uzi’s Party projected on 16mm.
My current roommate has post-it notes around the apartment reading “Meditation is the art of opening to each moment with calm awareness.” I stare at the one on the bathroom mirror as I brush my teeth. May you fully inhabit your day today, and tomorrow, and the next. Thank you for reading. Peace be upon you.