yellow wedding

Yellow Wedding Video and Photos

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Yellow Wedding Video and Photos

At the One Yellow Rabbit Theatre in Calgary, Canada, on January 14, 2007, 300 guests witnessed our Yellow Wedding #3. Over thirty-five performance artists collaborated to create this event. We were legally married by Naomi Whalen, our wedding officiant. We asked for no material gifts, but invited people to help us co-create the wedding. This was a dream artist wedding and our one and only legal ceremony. Below are some of the photos by Ben Tsui, Corinne Cornish and Yarko Yopyk. Additional photographers are listed in the program. The Boob Cake was created by Cindy Baker, Anthea Black and Megan Morman.

Yellow Wedding Homily

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Yellow Wedding Homily by Nomi Whalen

NOW THERE IS NO RAIN,
FOR EACH OF YOU WILL BE SHELTER FOR THE OTHER.
NOW THERE IS NO COLD,
FOR EACH OF YOU WILL BE WARMTH FOR THE OTHER.
NOW, THERE IS NO LONELINESS,
FOR EACH OF YOU WILL BE COMPANION TO THE OTHER.
NOW, YOU ARE TWO PEOPLE
BUT, WITH ONE PATH BEFORE YOU.
GO NOW TO YOUR DWELLING
TO ENTER INTO THE DAYS OF YOUR LIVES TOGETHER
AND, MAY YOUR DAYS BE GOOD, AND LONG, UPON THE EARTH.

(From an Apache ceremony)

Yellow Wedding Vows

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Yellow Wedding Vows by Nomi Whalen

NOW THERE IS NO RAIN, FOR EACH OF YOU WILL BE SHELTER FOR THE OTHER. NOW THERE IS NO COLD, FOR EACH OF YOU WILL BE WARMTH FOR THE OTHER. NOW, THERE IS NO LONELINESS, FOR EACH OF YOU WILL BE COMPANION TO THE OTHER. NOW, YOU ARE TWO PEOPLE BUT, WITH ONE PATH BEFORE YOU. GO NOW TO YOUR DWELLING TO ENTER INTO THE DAYS OF YOUR LIVES TOGETHER AND, MAY YOUR DAYS BE GOOD, AND LONG, UPON THE EARTH. (From an Apache ceremony) I choose you to be my life partner. To live with you and laugh with you. To stand by your side And share in our home To be joyful with you. (Even when we grow old!) To bring out the best in you. And, for you, to be the most that I can. Therefore, I give myself to you now. To hold you always in my heart. To be blessed by the gift of your love... For all the days of my life. With this ring, I promise, and give to you, The truth, my trust, my support and my love. And, as this ring is round and has no end, so will my love have no end!

Artists’ Statement

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artists' statement

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WE ARE DELIGHTED TO ENTER INTO THE THIRD AND YELLOW YEAR of our seven-year Love Art Laboratory project with a big fat queer wedding in beautiful Calgary, Canada. We'll be getting legally married for the very first time. We are told that while Calgary has gay marriage rights, there are still a lot of people against gay marriage and who want to abolish it. So we will make our wedding into a public relations fest and a unique performance art event to celebrate our queerness and generate more love for each other and with the Calgary community.

OUR THEMES THIS YEAR WILL BE COURAGE AND POWER, and we are looking forward to exploring them whole-heartedly. We'll wear gold wedding attire, with a Samurai, Mad Max, super hero theme created by artist Victoria May, complete with deer antler crowns, veils and football pads. We will also wear shit kicker gold platform boots. Move over Wonder Woman, here comes Beth and Annie.

WE ARE MORE IN LOVE THAN EVER AND THRILLED TO COMMIT yet again to each other, and are continually looking for additional creative ways to help make the world a more peaceful, safe, and egalitarian place.

ONE YELLOW RABBIT, a well-established arts organization in Calgary, is having the twentieth anniversary of their High Performance Rodeo. Our first two weddings were small private affairs with our closest friends. This time our wedding and reception Will be open to the public as part of the Rodeo program. Anyone can attend. We will be collaborating with the Calgary community where our wedding will follow the form that we have established during our first two weddings. Essentially we ask our guests to collaborate with us in the co-creation of the wedding. This time, people from a different country, whom we have never met, will help us make a wedding by contributing their art, performances, energy and resources. We can hardly wait to see who will end up in our wedding. (See www.oyr.org for more information.)

WE OF COURSE DON'T KNOW YET how this yellow year will manifest. But we see taking more personal risks, doing some great political actions, and having the courage to go even deeper into our relationship. We hope to develop more powerful bodies, minds and spirits.

WE HOPE YOU WILL ENJOY OUR YELLOW WEDDING. If you can't make it, tune in online at our web site (www.loveartlab.org).

With courage, power, and lots of love,
ELIZABETH M. STEPHENS & ANNIE M. SPRINKLE