Current & Past Events
Longing To Be a Rich, White Girl Or Paris Is Burning: A Screening
A screening of Paris is Burning will be followed by a discussion facilitated by Christina Flintoff exploring the film’s examination of colour via black gay balls, ?the great white way of living or looking,? lipstick red, and diamond white, among others. The following review was published at Timeout.com and written by Ben Walters: This 1990 documentary does for voguing what David LaChappelle’s_ Rize_ recently did for krumping: provides a fascinating portrait of a complex, materially disadvantaged subculture structured around intensely competitive aesthetic displays later plundered for a Madonna video. The predominantly black gay ball scene of late-80s New York is the focus, with upcoming legendary children from numerous houses, or gang-families, competing in dozens of ball categories. The House of Ninja pioneered the voguing that so appealed to Madge, but more categories were based on looks than moves, from student chic to formal eveningwear. Others—military, business executive, label-heavy high fashion speak to the sincerely conformist aspirationalism that marked this scene as much as the decade’s mainstream pop culture. Rather than being alienated from the great white way of living or looking that has made their lives so painful, these children long for it: ?I would like to be a spoiled, rich white girl,? one smiles. It’s an attitude with aesthetic repercussions: as a house mother observes, ?It’s not about what you can create, but what you can acquire.?
- host:
- Christina Flintoff
- date & time:
- May 14th, 2007 at 7 pm
- location:
- 6363 Stores Road Studio 2A University of British Columbia
- contact:
- [info@colourschool.org]