Photo: Nick Brown.

libretto:

01' Walt Senterfitt: "AIDS where is your rage"
Entered into the record by PJ Gouldmann, Baltimore Museum of Art (Baltimore, Maryland, Saturday, 16 April 2005)

02' Carol MacDowell: "I am confused [pause] I'm I'm I'm confused [short pause]"
Entered into the record by Valerie Spenser, Armand Hammer Museum (Los Angeles, California, Thursday, 5 May 2005)

03' Arianne Hoffmann: "I heard something very disturbing on the news, um"
Entered into the record by Unidentified Speaker 7, Walter Phillips Gallery (Banff, Alberta, Thursday, 23 June 2005)

04' Wu Ingrid Tsang: "[Pause] I'm frustrated [breath] grieeeved [long pause] disappointed [long pause] overwhelmed [long pause] saddened [long pause] by the silence that still existssss [long pause] in our communities [pause]"
Entered into the record by Unidentified Speaker 3, Andy Warhol Museum (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, 30 November 2005)

05' Claudio Vilchis: "And ... still to this day [breath] I'm baffled by that"
Entered into the record by Mylene Saint-Pierre, VAV Gallery, Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec, Tuesday, 4 April 2006)

06' Elizabeth Blaney: "When I listen to the silence ... I heard behind it [short pause] an anger [breath]"
Entered into the record by Tommy Jong, Student Health Center, Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, Illinois, Friday, 14 April 2006)

07' Katy Robinson: "I guess I hope ... some of my input is useful ... to your effort [breath]"
Entered into the record by Syrus Ware (Pete Collins, on tape): Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, Ontario, Wednesday, 9 August 2006)

projectdescription
In an on-going series of experiments toward the translation of an AIDS analysis into action, Ultra-red invited a small ensemble to occupy the State Historic Park near downtown Los Angeles in the final hour of sunset on Sunday, 18 November 2007. A chorus of seven artists and activists were asked to perform one short excerpt from statements recorded during the seven performances of Ultra-red's SILENT|LISTEN (2005-2006). The excerpts were looped for two minutes. Walking down a central pathway leading from one end of the park to another, each chorus member led the ensemble in acting out one of the loops accompanied by a gesture of their own invention.

After two minutes, the ensemble paused in their walking to listen to statements, or arias, from one of five soloists. Ultra-red invited five community organizers whose organizations earlier in the year had participated in a workshop organized by the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project. These organizations work on issues such as HIV support for prisoners, human rights for prisoners, prison abolition and autonomous community development. After each aria, the next chorus member moved into position to lead the procession further down the path with another two-minute performance for voice and gesture. For Ultra-red, the experiment contributed to our on-going development toward an AIDS activist opera, or operaction.

Ultra-red would like to thank Bill Kelley, Jr. for negotiating the use of the park and to the curators of "Tránsito(ry) Público" for including the action in their program of public events. Finally, we would like to thank the members of the ensemble, with special thanks to the soloists who performed the arias: Pedro Soto, Claudia Gomez, Edward Cervantes, Austin Delgadillo, and Cathy Olufs.

(Organized by Dont Rhine and Robert Sember.)