Annie Sprinkle & Beth Stephens: Playing With Fire (SAD)

Annie Sprikle & Beth Stephens: Playing with Fire (HR)

Playing with Fire je mitopoetski dokumentarni film koji se uzdiže iz pepela katastrofalnog

šumskog požara. Kada dugogodišnje partnerice Beth i Annie evakuiraju svoj dom zajedno sa

svojim psom Butchom, njihovi se životi zauvijek mijenjaju. Kroz ekoseksualnu perspektivu —

zamišljajući Zemlju kao ljubavnicu — film isprepliće glasove bivšeg vatrogasca koji je bio u

zatvoru, lokalnih znanstvenika, umjetnika vatre, terapeutkinje-vještice, fetišista vatre, burleskne

plesačice koja vrti vatrene rese te Alberta, njihovog divljeg bijelog pauna. Spajajući gubitak,

humor, senzualnost, umjetnost i brigu za zajednicu, film otkriva kako se klimatske katastrofe i

društvena pravda isprepliću — te kako otpornost i obnova mogu izrasti iz plamena.

Redateljice: Beth Stephens i Annie Sprinkle / Producenti: Keith Wilson, Oana Tenter, Beth

Stephens, Annie Sprinkle / Produkcijska kuća: E.A.R.T.H. Lab SF / Izvršni producenti: Xandra

Coe, Judy Meath, Julia Robertson, Joseph Kramer / Direktor fotografije: Jordan Freeman /

Glazba: Guillermo Galindo / Montaža: Diana J. Brodie

Annie Sprinkle je američka umjetnica performansa, seksualna edukatorica, redateljica, glumica

i aktivistica. Rođena je 23. srpnja 1954. u Philadelphiji u Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama.

Tijekom svoje karijere postala je jedna od najpoznatijih figura pokreta sex-positive feminizma,

poznata po radu koji istražuje teme seksualnosti, tijela, intimnosti i društvenih normi.

Sprinkle je započela karijeru u industriji filmova za odrasle 1970-ih, a kasnije se okrenula

eksperimentalnoj umjetnosti, performansu i edukaciji. Studirala je fotografiju na School of Visual

Arts u New Yorku, gdje je stekla diplomu iz vizualnih umjetnosti. Njezini radovi često spajaju

autobiografiju, humor i politički aktivizam te propituju granice između umjetnosti, pornografije i

javne edukacije.

Jedan od njezinih najpoznatijih performansa je “Public Cervix Announcement”, u kojem je

publici omogućila da pomoću spekuluma vidi njezin cerviks, čime je željela demistificirati žensko

tijelo i potaknuti otvoren razgovor o seksualnom zdravlju. Tijekom 1990-ih razvila je niz

kazališnih i edukativnih projekata o seksualnosti, uključujući poznati show Post-Porn Modernist.

U kasnijim fazama karijere Sprinkle je, zajedno sa svojom partnericom Beth Stephens, razvila

koncept ekoseksualnosti, umjetničko-aktivističkog pristupa koji povezuje ekologiju, ljubav prema

prirodi i seksualnost. Njihov zajednički rad uključuje performanse, filmove, radionice i javne

ceremonije koje promiču ekološku svijest i nove načine odnosa prema okolišu.

Rad Annie Sprinkle izlagan je i prikazivan u muzejima, galerijama i kazalištima diljem svijeta, a

smatra se važnom pionirkom u području feminističke umjetnosti, queer performansa i seks-

edukacije. Njezino djelovanje snažno je utjecalo na razvoj post-pornografskog umjetničkog

pokreta i suvremenih rasprava o seksualnosti u umjetnosti i društvu.

Beth Stephens je američka umjetnica, profesorica i aktivistica čiji rad povezuje performans,

film, video, fotografiju i ekološki aktivizam. Rođena je 1960. godine u Sjedinjenim Američkim

Državama. Najpoznatija je po umjetničkim projektima koji istražuju odnose između ekologije,

seksualnosti i politike tijela.

Stephens je profesorica umjetnosti na University of California, Santa Cruz, gdje predaje

medijsku umjetnost i performans. Njezin umjetnički i teorijski rad često se bavi feminističkim i

queer pristupima ekologiji, posebno kroz koncept ekoseksualnosti, koji razvija zajedno s

partnericom Annie Sprinkle.

Njihove zajedničke umjetničke prakse uključuju performanse, filmove, javne ceremonije i

radionice koje promiču ideju da se priroda može promatrati kao partner s kojim ljudi razvijaju

intiman i etički odnos. Jedan od njihovih poznatih projekata je dugogodišnji umjetničko-

aktivistički ciklus Ecosex Project, kao i dokumentarni film Goodbye Gauley Mountain: An

Ecosexual Love Story, koji tematizira ekološku borbu protiv industrije rudarenja u Appalachiji i

povezuje osobnu priču s ekološkim aktivizmom.

Rad Beth Stephens prikazivan je u muzejima, galerijama i na festivalima diljem svijeta,

uključujući institucije poput Museum of Modern Art i Tate. Njezina umjetnička praksa značajno je

doprinijela razvoju suvremene ekološke i queer umjetnosti, posebno kroz povezivanje

umjetničkog performansa s okolišnim aktivizmom i feminističkom teorijom.

Annie Sprikle & Beth Stephens: Playing with Fire (ENG)

Playing with Fire is a mythopoetic documentary that rises from the ashes of a catastrophic forest

fire. When long-time partners Beth and Annie evacuate their home with their dog, Butch, their

lives are forever transformed. Through an ecosexual lens—imagining the Earth as a lover—the

film interweaves voices of a formerly incarcerated firefighter, Indigenous scholars, fire artists, a

witch therapist, a fire fetishist, a fire-tassel-twirling burlesque dancer, and Albert, their wild white

peacock. Blending loss, humor, sensuality, art, and community care, the film reveals how

climate disaster and social justice intersect—and how resilience and renewal can emerge from

the flames.

Directors: Beth Stephens & Annie Sprinkle / Producers: Keith Wilson, Oana Tenter, Beth

Stephens, Annie Sprinkle / Production Co: E.A.R.T.H. Lab SF / Executive Producers: Xandra

Coe, Judy Meath, Julia Robertson, Joseph Kramer / Director of Photography: Jordan Freeman /

Original Music: Guillermo Galindo / Editor: Diana J. Brodie

Annie Sprinkle is an American performance artist, sex educator, director, actress and activist.

She was born on July 23, 1954 in Philadelphia, United States. During her career she became

one of the most recognizable figures of the sex-positive feminist movement, known for work

exploring sexuality, the body, intimacy and social norms.

Sprinkle began her career in the adult film industry in the 1970s before turning to experimental

art, performance and education. She studied photography at the School of Visual Arts in New

York, earning a degree in visual arts. Her works often combine autobiography, humour and

political activism while questioning the boundaries between art, pornography and public

education.

One of her most famous performances is Public Cervix Announcement, in which audience

members were invited to view her cervix using a speculum, in an effort to demystify the female body and encourage open discussions about sexual health. During the 1990s she developed

numerous theatrical and educational projects on sexuality, including the well-known show Post-

Porn Modernist.

In later stages of her career, together with her partner Beth Stephens, she developed the

concept of ecosexuality—an artistic-activist approach connecting ecology, love of nature and

sexuality. Their joint work includes performances, films, workshops and public ceremonies

promoting ecological awareness and new relationships with the environment.

Sprinkle’s work has been presented in museums, galleries and theatres worldwide and she is

considered an important pioneer in feminist art, queer performance and sex education.

Beth Stephens is an American artist, professor and activist whose work connects performance,

film, video, photography and ecological activism. She was born in 1960 in the United States.

She is best known for artistic projects exploring the relationships between ecology, sexuality and

body politics.

Stephens is a professor of art at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she teaches

media art and performance. Her artistic and theoretical work frequently addresses feminist and

queer approaches to ecology, particularly through the concept of ecosexuality developed

together with her partner Annie Sprinkle.

Their collaborative practices include performances, films, public ceremonies and workshops

promoting the idea that nature can be viewed as a partner with whom humans develop intimate

and ethical relationships. One of their well-known projects is the long-term artistic-activist cycle

Ecosex Project, as well as the documentary film Goodbye Gauley Mountain: An Ecosexual Love

Story.

Her work has been presented in museums, galleries and festivals worldwide, including

institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and Tate.