The Biggest Quake: New thinking on the San Francisco AIDS epidemic

Writing and performance by Mark ABRAMSON, Justin CHIN, Brontez PURNELL, Carol QUEEN Kirk READ, Julia SERANO, K.M. SOEHNLEIN, Ed WOLF

Curated by Kirk Read

The Biggest Quake brings together eight San Francisco artists with varied backgrounds in writing, performance art, music, public health, science and AIDS activism. Topics will include barebacking, pre-exposure (PrEP) HIV medications for HIV-negative people, crystal meth, the missing generations of trans women, being newly infected, helping people commit suicide in the 1980s and getting arrested with ACT UP. A rich brew. WE PROMISE there will be no cliches about being HIV positive and thriving and no one will tell you that men who bareback have low self esteem. In preparation for these three evenings, the eight artists created brand new essays and performance works in collaboration with one another. The location, Metropolitan Community Church, was ground zero for many hundreds of memorial services during the peak of the AIDS years. The work promises to be funny, touching, harrowing, historical and controversial. The artists spent hours having conversations as a group and individually, deepening their shared understanding of the AIDS epidemic. The variety of voices here creates a dialogue that goes across generational, gender, and experiential lines. The purpose of this project is to generate new stories and thinking about AIDS that is not mediated by public health messaging or non-profit politics. We aim to spark a resurgence of artists making work about the epidemic, in terms of history, where we are now, and the future imaginary.

ALL SHOWS FREE!

JUNE 14-15-16, 7pm New (& New-ish) material in every show

Metropolitan Community Church, 150 Eureka near 18th St.

San Francisco, CA

Part of the National Queer Arts Festival

See the video trailer here: http://vimeo.com/42527187

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/events/440235436000941

The Biggest Quake was made possible in part by a grant from The Creative Work Fund, a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund supported by generous grants from the William Flora Hewlett Foundation and the James Irvine Foundation. Additional support was provided by The Queer Cultural Center, the San Francisco Arts Commission, the California Arts Council and the Zellerbach Family Foundation.