Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (FMCAC) presents actions vent ascending frequencies, a participatory art installation and roller rink experience from the art platform assume vivid astro focus (avaf). The Artist-designed outdoor roller-skating rink will feature performances, DJ sets, and special programming from September 13 through October 6, 2019. The exhibition will be free and open to the public, get your tickets HERE.

avaf's reimagined roller rink, a 21st-century social sculpture that draws on the optimism and democratic energy of disco-driven skate sites, makes its California debut at FMCAC. The painting-like environment blends psychedelia and color fields to create an iconic pop-up art installation.

“Roller skating brings people together,” says Eli Sudbrack, founder of avaf. “Living in such polarizing times, it's important that my practice helps unite people.”

FMCAC avaf Image 4
Eli Sudbrack of assume vivid astro focus at Fort Mason Center, 2019. Photo by Hanna Ingraham.

actions vent ascending frequencies brings together images of liberation and skating, an activity representing freedom, to create a new meeting space out of a parking lot,” says Frank Smigiel, Director of Arts Programming and Partnerships at FMCAC. “I fully expect avaf's intervention to transform our inert asphalt into something fabulous.”

Originally presented with the Public Art Fund in New York City's Central Park for the 2004 Whitney Biennial, the installation more recently appeared at Faena Art in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2014 and at Miami's Art Basel in 2015. In addition, a new version of the project opens in Hamburg, Germany later this year.

FMCAC avaf Image 2Detail view of the intricate rink floor graphic, 2019. Image courtesy assume vivid astro focus.

Local roller-skating organizations, the Church of 8 Wheels and Bay Area Derby, have partnered with FMCAC to produce and operate the rink, providing the rink hosts, DJs, special programming, and rental skates, available to visitors for $5.

DJ Lineup
Drawing from artists, curators, producers, and sound makers inspired by the roller disco scene and era, the musical lineup tracks that scene's legacy & philosophy, making both day time culture and energetic nightlife happen in the Bay today.

Headliners
HARD FRENCH: Opening Saturday, September 14th (2 to 8 pm)
San Francisco's premier outdoor daytime soul music dance party kicks off on the rink Saturday, September 14th. HARD FRENCH focuses on a genuine dance party experience through creativity and magic, letting you dance your heart out to your favorite song.

DJ Bus Station John: Last Saturday Night, October 5th (5 to 8 pm)
The Godfather of Bathhouse-era Disco brings his deep-cut expertise in disco, 80's R&B, Hi-NRG, and funk to the closing Saturday night skate. Never nostalgic, San Francisco's legendary leader of the Tubesteak Connection at Aunt Charlie's and DISCO DADDY! at the SF Eagle always spins treasured tracks in the present tense.

DJ in Residence
DJ Milestone: Wednesdays and Thursdays (5 to 8 pm)
Resident DJ at The Church of 8 Wheels heads down Fillmore to become the DJ to rev up the rink all month long.

Guest DJs
DJ JuanLove: September 13 & 27 (5 to 8pm)
DJ JuanLove gave a living room salsa lesson until it outgrew his house. He now hosts TUMBAO--Musica Cubana at Oakland's Luka's Taproom & Lounge every Thursday.

DJ Bre-Ad: September 22 (12 to 3 pm)
DJ Bre-Ad brings boogie funk, disco, Italo, electro, and soul to the rink. Entrenched in the Bay Area's electronic dance scene/rave culture of the 1990s, DJ Bre-Ad was a founding member of STATIC, an experimental music collective and co-organizer of the seminal Italo Disco club.

Guest Artist DJs
Cliff Hengst: September 15 & 22 (3 to 6 pm)
Artist Cliff Hengst spins disco, soul and roller-funk classics. His paintings and performances compress political language, comedy, and persona into powerful acts.

Brontez Purnell: September 21 (5 to 8 pm)
Spinning everything from garage rock, disco, and funk to Pal Joey remixes of Deee-Lite, Brontez Purnell is a multi-disciplinary artist, curator, and writer who won the 2018 Whiting Award for his novel Since I Laid My Burden Down (2017). He fronts the punk band The Younger Lovers and co-founded and choreographs the Brontez Purnell Dance Company.

Jill Reiter: September 28 (5 to 8 pm) and October 5 (2 to 5 pm)
Filmmaker Jill Reiter creates large-scale video projections for nightclubs, including San Francisco's drag institution Oasis, SFMOMA, and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Her films capture resonant moments in 1990s queer underground subculture. Her seemingly lost In Search of Margo-go, shot in 1994 and starring Reiter, Iraya Robles, and Kathleen Hanna was released in 2015.

Whoop Dee Doo: September 29 (12 to 6 pm)
Whoop Dee Doo is a traveling, artist-led collaborative that partners with local youth organizations and performing artists to create ambitious installations and unique variety shows. Lead artists Matt Roche and Jaimie Warren take a break from researching an upcoming project at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture to spin an eclectic mix of classic disco and pop, avant-garde oddities, and slowed down standards.

Gina Basso: October 6 (12 to 3 pm)
Gina Basso curates the film program at SFMOMA and spins disco, soul, and dusty gems. Her upcoming series, Voices Carry: Women in Film, runs through November 21st.

FMCAC avaf Image 1
assume vivid astro focus (avaf), ángeles veloces arcanos fugaces, 2014. Installation view at Faena Art Center, Buenos Aires. Courtesy of Faena Art.

“avaf's invitation to skate on art harnesses the powers of art and fun to bring people together,” says Rich Hillis, Executive Director of FMCAC. “Let the good times roll.”