Playing with Fire Symposium

PLAYING WITH FIRE:
A HOT SYMPOSIUM

Register here

Scroll below the poster for full schedule, times and dates.

OCTOBER 7—9
We will explore the pleasures, perils & politics of fire through art, theory, practice, and activism.
On the UCSC campus in the DARC building, room #108.

Photographs by Lydia Daniller

Photographs by Jaren Bonillo

Photographs by Saul Villegas

SYMPOSIUM SCHEDULE

WHERE: All events are at UCSC in DARC #108 (Digital Arts Research Center), except where noted

Friday, October 7

   
 
Honoring and Celebrating our Environmental Art Ancestors:
a Tribute to Newton and Helen Harrison
6-6:30pm
Gather

Manifestadora del altar– Juanita Mora-Malerva
Video: Linda Montano (9 minutes)

6:30-7:30pm
WelcomeBeth Stephens & Annie Sprinkle

Ritual for the Departed & a Sevda–Nada Miljkovic
Kaddish–Ruby Barnett
Metabolism is the Fire that Burns Within Us–Lauren Bon
Sporadical: The World After Us – Ed Shanken
Open Mic– Share your stories
Closing- Beth & Annie 

7:30-8pm
Eat, drink and be grateful

Saturday, October 8

At UCSC in DARC #108 (Digital Arts Research Center)

Time  Event
10-11:00am
Morning Gathering

Breakfast bites, coffee, tea

11:00am-12pm
A Warm Welcome 

Professor Beth Stephens–artist, filmmaker, and
Annie Sprinkle–ecosexual artist 

12-1:30pm
Panel # 1 — Smoldering Embers

Becca Fenwick, Director of UCSC’s CITRIS Program. “A Drone’s Eye View of the UCNRS”
Cláudio Bueno, Assistant Professor of Art, UC Santa Cruz. “Curupira; The Red Head”
Kim TallBear, Professor of Native Studies, University of Alberta.
“A Sharpening of the Already Present: Apocalypse and Radical Hope”

1:30-2:30pm
Lunch
2:30-4pm
Panel #2 — Art and Artists On Fire

Michael and Heather Llewellyn– Artists and Co-Creators.
 “Creating the FOREST⇌FIRE Exhibition”
Laura Smith-Fillmore – Artist and Translator.
Fire: the Wà:šiw word for wildfire is yengi’iši’ (the plural of ‘running’) or literally ‘everything is running’
Tracy Brown–Artivist and African American Art & Culture Center FellowChoose Your Punctuation from the Fire”
Justin Hoover– Artist, Director of the Chinese Historical   “Fire as Practice in Chinese American Traditional Culture” 

4-4:30pm
Break
4:30-6pm
Panel #3 — Flaming Desires

Courtney Desiree Morris, Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies, UC Berkeley.  “Fire Wedding Orishas” with Martîn Perna (sound design and saxophone) & Sequoia Jane Morris-Perna (firebaby).
K-Haw of the Rural Alchemy Workshop (R.A.W.) “Any Body Can Be a Rodeo Queen of the Pyrocene,”
Lady Monster, Eco-burlesque Artist, “Bringing the Camp to the Fire as the Quadra-Flame Twirl-inator”
Nicole Rudolph-Vallerga, Artist, “The Phoenix Letters, A Ritual Offering. 

6:00-7:30pm
Outdoor Dinner & A Sound Performance

Anna Friz & Gabriel Saloman“Between the Fires”

7:30 sharp!-9:30pm
Feel the Heat — Live Art and Film

(Performances are listed in random order and subject to change)

Julie Weitz. Prayer for Burnt Forest” (Film, 14 mins)
Courtney Desiree MorrisSopera de Yemaya” (Film, 20 mins) with sound design and saxophone performance by Martin Perna
Vin Seaman as LOL McFiercen–Mistrexx of Ceremonies:
Roxi Power“Zig Zag: Fire Poems”
K-Haw“Rodeo Queen of the Pyrocene: Fire Ride with Me”
Shelly Truman– “Surviving”
Spyce– “Songs to Light our Fires”
Larry Bogad– “A Word From Our Sponsors”
Lady Monster– “Ignite; a Dance”
Justin Hoover–“Divine Conduits” 

Sunday, October 9

At UCSC in DARC #108 (Digital Arts Research Center)

Time  Event
10-11am
Morning Gathering

Breakfast bites, coffee, tea

11am-1pm
Panel #4 — Firefighter Stories

Julie Weitz, My Golem as a Wildland Firefighter
Brandon Smith (Director of the Forestry and Fire Recruitment Program).
Benny Fillmore (Elder Wašišiw and Former Hotshot Firefighter) in conversation with
Helen Fillmore (Environmental Scientist and Former Hotshot Firefighter).

1-1:45pm
Lunch
1:45-2:30pm
Community Open Mike

(Sign up for a 5 minute slot)

2:30-3:00pm
Final Comments & Closing

Beth & Annie

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Everyone is welcome. Symposium is free.

All events take place at the UCSC DARC building. Google map link here. It's a big campus, be sure to follow our link! There are several food options for purchase on campus, have a look at the food options here.  We hope you can find everything else you need below, but if you have any additional questions, shoot us an email at info@earthlabsf.org and we are happy to answer  your questions if we can.

FOOD

Food is available for purchase around campus, or feel free to bring your own.

PARKING

There is a $5 fee to park in the UCSC parking lot. Our beloved parking enforcement team is extremely vigilant. Please use the Park Mobile machines  in the Performing Arts Parking Lot, to avoid an expensive ticket. 

LODGING

We want you to be warm, comfortable, and cozy. Here are some places to stay:

Camping: The Redwood Resort has great camping for symposium participants and their close guests. This includes shower and restroom facilities. They're great friends of Annie and Beth, and are co-sponsoring this event! Please keep in mind that they're a 40 minute drive from UCSC. The map link is here. If you want to use this option, please contact Beth Stephens bethstephens@me.com

You may also like Henry Cowell State Park. They don't have a website, but the map link and phone number is here.

Hostels: There are lots of options here.

Hotels: A list of all hotels in Santa Cruz can be found here. If possible find an alternative because they are expensive.

Heartfelt thanks to our collaborators friends and sponsors

  Guggenheim logoSanta Cruz Anthropology logo

Thank you everyone who gave their time and resources to help us with this event
Karlton Hester, and Marianne Weems

Special thanks to our generous hosts: Nada Miljkovic, Duncan Ballenger and Maureen Hussum, Karen O'Hanlon, Shelly Errington

KSQID
Saul Villegas
Rogge Design

Thank you all for coming!