STEVEN ARNOLD: HEAVENLY BODIES

Friday, January 15th – 7:30 PM – SMALL THEATRE

New Queer Currents presents:

STEVEN ARNOLD: HEAVENLY BODIES (2019, 80 min.) Dir. Vishnu Dass.

The surreal, shamanistic and often erotically-charged visions realized by Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and photographer Steven Arnold (1943-1994) transport the viewer into an Other World where, in the words of one critic, “fields of architecture and objects and bodies all blend into each other.” Already a pioneer of the midnight movies underground in the late Sixties in San Francisco with his famed Nocturnal Dream Shows, Arnold then dazzled audiences with his groundbreaking 1971 Queer Cinema classic LUMINOUS PROCURESS featuring influential SF drag theatre troupe The Cockettes (who got their start at Arnold’s midnight screenings). A close friend and admirer of Salvador Dalí, Arnold fashioned cosmically-inspired tableaux in which he placed his frequent collaborators, and even turned his own L.A. home and studio into a phantasmagorical wonderland where he threw legendary parties and salons. Arnold died of AIDS in 1994, leaving behind an incredible body of work reflecting his creation of a New Mythology; he was, as described by friends, “an emperor”, “magician”, “cosmic puppet master”, and “being of light.”

As part of The 418’s ongoing series highlighting LGBTQ+ art, film, theater and more entitled New Queer Currents, we’re thrilled to present the Santa Cruz Premiere of the visually dazzling documentary STEVEN ARNOLD: HEAVENLY BODIES (2019, 80 min.), from director Vishnu Dass, former head of the Steven Arnold Museum and Archives. Narrated by Anjelica Huston and featuring extensive archival footage of Arnold in conversation with friends including artist Ed Moses and actress Ellen Burstyn, as well as interviews with former members of The Cockettes, Warhol Superstar Holly Woodlawn, Beat Poet ruth weiss and others, this superb, mystical and emotionally gripping film traces the fantastical career and multidisciplinary work of this “most Jungian of artists.”

Special thanks to: Vishnu Dass and the ONE Archives at USC Libraries.

Ticket price: $10 advance / $15 door.

Doors open at 7PM, event at 7:30 PM at The 418 Project, 155 South River Street, downtown Santa Cruz at the Dragons Gate.

Safety protocols will be in compliance with local guidelines at the time of showing.