One of our finest weddings took place in Krems, Austria, on May Day 2014. Dirty Wedding to the Soil was produced by Donau Fest, a multimedia arts festival. The wedding party included local artists who responded to our call for collaborators, artists invited by the festival organizers, and artists who were already part of the festival, including our very favorite rock star Peaches, and Keith Hennessy, a fantastic performance artist, and our neighbor friend. Keith and Peaches, who met for the first time in our dressing room that morning, decided to improvise together, which became a highlight of the wedding. Keith did movements to a spoken-word piece called “Dirt,” which Peaches had written for the occasion.

Thank goodness our director friend, Joy Brooke Fairfield came with us to Krems, and she directed what turned out to be a pretty intense production. The tone was celebratory, but we also did not gloss over Austria’s Nazi past. Tobaron Waxman (our cantor for White Wedding to the Snow) reminded all of us to think about whose blood had been spilled on the soil where this wedding was taking place, recalling World War II atrocities as well as highlighting recent incidents of anti-Semitism. We invited everyone to make vows to the Soil with us and passed around two hundred rings our Boulder Creek neighbor had made for us from brown-fired clay.

The Soil Wedding reception was in a garden a few blocks away from the wedding venue. A fantastic, tall maypole, constructed for us by the festival team, was festooned with colored ribbons and attached to the head of a double bed filled with soil. Three women playfully hugged the maypole as they were bound to it with ribbons. Our guests wove these ribbons together in the maypole dance. It was delightfully kinky, colorful, and fun all at once. We consummated our vows to the Soil by rolling around naked kissing the dirt and each other. We got really dirty.

To view, our beautiful Wedding program and full credits click here.

This wedding performance was curated by Johanna Tuukkanen into her annual ANTI— Contemporary Art Festival in Finland, which has presented some of the world’s most exciting performance artists. It took place on September 30, 2012, on the Queen R, an old wooden tour boat. Our ceremony was officiated by Emma McNairy, our gorgeous, gifted, and beloved opera singer friend. As usual, we asked for no material gifts but invited people to help create the wedding. Even so, as part of the ceremony, we received two material gifts that we still cherish. A group of textile art students presented us with a traditional Finnish wedding rug that resembled a waterfall. They had woven it from men’s ties. Another group caught a big fish in Lake Kallavesi, which they ate. They then dried the head, which had incredibly sharp teeth, making it look like a kind of prehistoric creature, and gifted us this fish skull. Other performances included one about how much water it takes to make a piece of paper. There were traditional wedding dances and songs. Emma sang our vows as an aria.

To consummate our vows with the Lake we jumped from the side of the boat into the frigid waters wearing nothing but our custom airbrushed shorty wetsuits designed by Sarah Stolar. When Annie landed in the water, goldfish crackers floated out of net pouches attached to her bra to feed the fish, an idea from Linda Montano. After enjoying a few minutes in our Lake-lover’s wet arms, we swam around to the ladder on the back of the boat. We were pulled aboard and were given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by Justin Credible, who had served as our master of ceremonies for the Purple Wedding to the Appalachian Mountains, and Cassils, one of our favorite artists, who was performing their own work at the festival. We still feel forever bonded and connected to Lake Kallavesi, in spite of its being a long-distance relationship.

To view, our beautiful Wedding program and full credits click here.

We really wanted to do something special with our friends, something local, and we love the Sun. So at 6 a.m., an hour before sunrise, on December 11, 2011, we gathered together with our beloved San Francisco community on top of Bernal Hill. Fortunately for us, Katy Bell, the producer of San Francisco’s Dada Festival and a porn clown, volunteered to be our production manager. She somehow managed to cajole us, and our sleep- friends, and collaborators to the Hill and into place in the pre-dawn darkness. Once we were awake, we unfurled a very long silk ribbon and asked everyone to hold on to it as we led a procession around Bernal Hill. We watched the Sunrise over the East Bay. Then we all climbed up to the crest of the hill and reveled in the stunning 360-degree view of San Francisco.

The two of us were the brides, masters of ceremonies, and the officiants. Joseph Kramer was our lead groom. Many of our friends attended this wedding as witnesses, performers, and supporters. Even artist Linda M. Montano joined us by astral projection. As the ritual began, we applied thick, white sunscreen to everyone’s noses. Neighbors strolled and walked their dogs nearby while we performed. Sadie Lune, who had been trying to get pregnant, laid a raw egg on the ground, which she then cracked to display a golden yellow yolk, glittering in the morning sun. Tony’s Circus played live and sang “Here Comes the Sun.” Mariko Passion’s Conscientious Objector performance was a reenactment of the 2011 UC Davis police tear-gassing of peaceful student protesters. Lady Monster performed a sunrise burlesque routine roasting marshmallows on sticks with her flaming tassels, which she then fed to wedding guests. The ritual closed with Good Vibrations CEO Jack Strano’s moving rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Theater director Rudy Ramirez flew in from Austin, Texas, and did our homily, a piece he wrote and performed called “Happy Endings.” By the end of the wedding, the Sun was burning bright.

To view, our beautiful Wedding program and full credits click here.

Black Wedding to Coal was held in Spain’s coal country, in Gijón, at midnight, on July 23, 2011, produced in collaboration with LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial (Art and Industrial Creation Center).  We spent our first several days in Gijón researching the region’s history of coal mining in order to address this history in our wedding, driving around with Pedro Soler, the head curator at LABoral, and our co-producer, Diana Pornoterrorista.  Pedro set up Ecosexuality: Understanding Space through the Body, a workshop with our wedding collaborators from July 20–23, during which we could all work together to prepare for the wedding performance. His talented group of collaborators included dancers, ecologists, healers, performance artists, writers, psycho-magicians, and sex workers—a dynamic mix of punk, porn, and conceptual art. The wedding was scheduled to take place at midnight during Semana Negra, a literary festival that celebrates crime novels and mysteries.

On the front center stage, our team placed several big baskets of coal. Graham Bell was our fey master of ceremonies. We proceeded down the aisle to the tune of a raucous gypsy band with loud brass instruments and big drums, which was customary for weddings in that area. Monica Cofiño Arena and Paula Pin performed an erotic rendition of the Black Swan ballet, teetering on their toes while balanced on lumps of carbón. Cuco, as Vulcán, tried to abduct Annie, but Beth thwarted his attempts. Diana performed a fierce spoken-word piece about how the coal mine is like a woman’s pussy: “Dark, black, wet, and very dangerous.” She then pulled some chunks of coal out of her vagina. Amber McBride had traveled from Australia to join us. During the workshop, she had injured her leg, so during the wedding she was in a wheelchair, from which she suddenly lunged and poured thick black paint all over her big voluptuous breasts as she hopped around wildly on one foot, screaming in agony.  After saying “I do,” we two brides kissed each other between the buttocks with a “black kiss.” We consummated our marriage to Coal by stripping out of our dresses and lying down face to face on a bed of coal while four women dipped pieces of coal into the bucket of blood. Slowly, ritualistically, and in recognition of the suffering caused by mining, the four women placed the bloody coal on our nude bodies. We thought of this wedding as a form of psycho-magic healing.

To view, our beautiful Wedding program and full credits click here.

In Barcelona we married the rocks.  To symbolize this union we bought a beautiful black rock sculpture that we named Mr. Rocco. We married the rocks because rocks are the sexy,  strong beings that structure the Earth. The Silver Wedding to the Rocks is where Fluxus, meets Punk, meets Post Porn, meets Love Art Lab.  We will be be continuing to add documentation and credits as we gather it and have time. Pedro Castro took the photos from row 4 down. In the meantime a big thanks to all of the wonderful documentary artists who collaborated with us. We would also like to thank all of the wonderful performers who performed for the wedding as well as the institutions who hosted us.  All of the collaborators were fabulous and we could not have had the wedding without you.  See the program for the full list of credits including photographers. A video clip is also available on another site online: http://giss.tv/dmmdb//1728 . We did not produce the video however.

We found the perfect location for Purple Wedding to the Moon: a stone amphitheater that had been built in the 1930s located in Farnsworth Park in the foothills of Altadena, in Los Angeles. The best part was that the outdoor venue was open to the sky. It seated more than seven hundred people, had a huge stage, and plenty of dressing rooms for dozens of collaborators.

The venerable Reverend Billy (artist Billy Talen) officiated and emceed. The full choir of the Church of Life After Shopping Choir made this a very special, joyful, activist occasion and we are very grateful to them for officiating and celebrating big love though song and performance. Shout out to Savitri D. the director of the Choir. Artist Larry Bogad performed as a Russian cosmonaut finding his way back to Earth, and Mariko Passion did a burlesque number that included tampons dipped in purple wine, a reference to the moon cycle. Lian Amaris recited all the Shakespeare passages containing the word moon. Blues singer Candye Kane belted out her song “I Deserve Love.” Event producer and friend, Joegh Bullock decorated the stage with giant cones of light. Lunapads International donated dozens of their fashionable, washable panty liners as Wedding to the Moon favors. Lady Monster did a kick-ass burlesque dance to Madonna’s “Ray of Light” wearing LED nipple coverings that looked like moons. And so much more.

The wedding was full of luna love and lunacy. To view the whole series of events and full credits, please take a look at the White Wedding Program. 

Photos by Nichola Feldman-Kiss, Benoit Aubry.

Purple Wedding to the Appalachian Mountains was organized by art professor Jennie Klein. She invited us to her campus, Ohio University. Originally we had planned to have this wedding in West Virginia but were warned off by the anti-MTR activist Judy Bonds, who thought it would be too dangerous. In West Virginia, coal mining continued to provide desirable high-paying jobs in a region with high unemployment and there was a lot of anger toward environmental activists and it could have turned ugly. Fortunately, Ohio University is situated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and they were more than happy to host us. Plus we could do it in the Galbreath Chapel, a picturesque, nondenominational chapel in the center of the college green, with great vibes and an old pipe organ.

About 150 guests came. Beth’s sister, brother, brother-in-law, and two cousins drove in from her home state. Since this wedding took place on a college campus, a number of students collaborated to create the performance. They decorated the chapel with braided tree branches from which dangled glitter-coated purple pine cones. Joe Kramer flew in from Oakland to officiate our vows and double as our best man. Tony’s Circus, a group of three performers who dress as life-size furry animals, flew in from Oakland as well. They performed a rousing anti-MTR song they wrote themselves, “Let’s All Be Keepers of the Mountains.” Eco-chaplain Sarah Vekasi, whom we met at a Mountain Justice event, provided us with prewedding marriage counseling. Kris Grey aka Justin Credible, a big-hearted trans* artist who was completing their MFA in ceramics at the university, served as the master of ceremonies. There was an erotic acrobatic dance by a heterosexual couple who had just started dating, John Stazel and Erin Paun. They were wearing only sexy underwear, which many in the audience really appreciated even if eyebrows were raised. Michael Morris performed a Butoh dance to express what a mountain would feel as it was being blown up. The highlight of the Purple Wedding to the Mountains was Larry Gibson’s impassioned homily. The wedding was a magnificent homage to these magnificent mountains.

Click here for the Wedding Program!

Below are photos by Elizabeth Dobson.

| ARTISTS’ STATEMENT |

WE, ARTIST-BRIDES, ELIZABETH STEPHENS & ANNIE SPRINKLE, WILL CELEBRATE TWO PURPLE WEDDINGS THIS FALL 2010. First, Purple Wedding to the Moon, will be held in an outdoor amphitheater at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains in Altadena. CA (LA) under the full moon. Then Purple Wedding to the Appalachian Mountains will be produced with the University of Ohio, and will take place in the Gal- breath Chapel in Athens (Ohio), at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. We invite everyone to join us in taking vows to love, honor and cherish the Moon and the Mountains. Or to simply come bear witness.

ON THESE AUSPICIOUS OCCASIONS WE WILL EXPLORE AND ENGAGE THE THEMES OF INTUITION (3rd eye. 6th chakra). water. moon. mountains. ecosexuality and our love of nature. We invite everyone to share our practice of loving the Moon and the Mountains romantically in order to create more intimate relationships with them. We aim to activate a network of global citizens, artists, activists. sexologists. spiritual practitioners. academics, local folk, family and others. We ask for no material gifts but invite people to collaborate on the creation of these weddings. We are thrilled to have the venerable Reverend Billy, his wife/director Savitri D, and the Church of Life After Shopping Choir officiating the Moon Wedding. Mountain Wedding will feature a homily by Lorry Gibson, the heroic keeper of the mountains.

IN OCTOBER 2009, NASA BOMBED THE MOON WITH EXPLOSIVES TO PROSPECT FOR WATER. We thought of the over 1500 miles of Appalachian creeks and streams that have been forever destroyed by mountain top removal coal mining corporations which use 3 million pounds of explosives per day and poison the water with toxic waste. Domestic terrorism now seems to have become intergalactic terrorism. We will stand up to protect and enjoy what still remains of our planet’s mountains and waters while working towards the creation of effective structures for a healthier environment. We will deploy ecosensual practices, artistic activism and love to help heal the damage that has been done. We intend to make the environmental movement a little more sexy and attractive in order to enlist even more citizens to join us in our ecosexual revolution. Our Purple Weddings aim to create a powerful love beam that will help illuminate the dire straits of the Moon and the Appalachian Mountains while drawing the connections between them. Life cannot exist without clean water and it is quickly running out. Let us gather together to explore ideas and enact changes that will enable future generations of humans, animals, and plants to co-exist and enjoy the sensual pleasures, and abundance of our magnificent lover Earth.

EVERYONE IS INVITED TO JOIN US FOR A HONEYMOON ECOSEX SYMPOSIUM the day after the Wedding to the Moon at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, CA. Together we will explore and learn more about sexecology. At University of Ohio we will have an art exhibit at the Trisolini Gallery, do a Sexecological Walking Tour and have an installation of wedding ephemera at Kennedy Art Museum.

JOIN US IN HOLY AND IRREVERENT MATRIMONY AT OUR CELEBRATION of love for the Moon. the Mountains, and each other. Please wear purple and keep your third eye open.