BUGA Garden Show | August 17, 2023 – August 24, 2023
Mannheim, Germany
Carman (with Margret) Göth and the Mannheim Queer Center (QZM) invited Beth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle to queer the ’23 Buga Garden Show (August 17-24). BUGA is short for “Bundesgartenschau” and is the German Federal Garden celebration. The 2023 BUGA took place in Mannheim, Germany. With our director Joy Brooke Fairfield and our team of five local performers, we completed five walking tours, presented artist talks, screened Water Makes Us Wet with a water bar, and more.
The Federal Garden Show includes exhibitions, arts and cultural events, and flower shows, as it aims to support urban and regional development over the long term. Sustainability and environmental protection were the show’s focus during the planning process of the two exhibition areas – the Luisenpark and the Spinelli sites. Global sustainability goals are the guiding principles of the Federal Garden Show.
Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens’ walking tour performances titled The Earth as Lover was a further development of the basic ideas of the two US artists, together with queer artists from Mannheim. BUGA 23 specifically commissioned these walks to “help awaken the desire to love, appreciate, and honor the Earth as a lover, rather than expecting the Earth to take care of us all.” “Mother Earth” becomes the “Beloved Earth” – as a gesture of love, protection, and respect. “The Earth as Lover” asks central questions about the positioning of individuals: how do I stand in the world? How do I connect with my environment?
These site-specific walks were developed for BUGA 23, and carried out throughout the grounds under the artistic direction of Sprinkle, Stephens, Joy Brook Fairfield, and the other participating regional artists.
Earth as Lover Ecosex Walking Tours
August 19, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
August 19th 6-8 p.m.
August 21st 6-8 p.m.
August 22nd 6-8 p.m.
August 23rd 10 a.m. to 12 p.m
Photos by
