Chronic Chronicles : Open Space

Series Limited Edition

Series

Organized by Claudia La Rocco

An Open Space partnership with CounterPulse, The Lab, ODC Theater, Performance at SFMOMA, and Z Space, Limited Edition explores questions of legacy and lineage through performances, discussions, and gatherings at various locations throughout the city from January to March 2018, with commissioned texts appearing regularly here. The theme of this year’s Limited Edition is “Forward-Looking Lineages,” inspired in part by the SFMOMA show Robert Rauschenberg: Erasing the Rules. Contemporary performance is, among many things, a set of traditions, enriched and bedeviled by questions of ownership, of legacy, of the authentic and the appropriated. As sites for well-resourced arts writing continue to be imperiled, and as vital independent arts spaces struggle to stay afloat in the face of rapid gentrification and decreased arts funding, Limited Edition seeks to address a crucial need for smart context around contemporary culture. Information and ticketing links to the shows being presented by our partners can be found here.

February 20, 2018

Chronic Chronicles

by Brontez Purnell

Brontez Purnell in his 2017 work Chronic: A Dance About Marijuana at the Joe Goode Annex, during the 2018 FRESH Festival. The work also featured the performers José Abad and Ryan Austin Dennis. Photos: Robbie Sweeny.

So I was working with Keith Hennessy on this one project and he casually mentioned wanting to call that project Chronic and me and this other boy in the project kinda laughed because Keith had no idea that “chronic” was a.) the SEMINAL gangsta rap album by Dr. Dre and also b.) a euphemism for dank-ass weed. I immediately told Keith that I was stealing that name, and he was like, “just give me credit.” So I did. ANYWHO — the audio text comes from Chronic Chronicles (maybe chronicles should be in italics?), stories of my at-times reluctant involvement in the cannabis industry and my years as total fucking pothead. It also touches upon secret Pot Club histories, ACT UP histories, and the consequences of participating in the gig economy of pot trimming just so you can make art. YR WELCOME

— Brontez Purnell Feb 2nd 2018