ENTERING THE ASCLEPEION:
FROM MANLY P. HALL TO RON ATHEY
Philosophical Research Society
3910 Los Feliz Blvd
Los Angeles

Premiere Screening:
Pasiphäe, The Witch Queen of Crete: A Glory Hole Origin Story — a new video by Ron Athey and Hermes Pittakos

Live Performance:
Pageant for the Pantheon featuring Ron Athey, Cassils, Carmina Escobar, Divinity P. Fudge, Karen Lofgren, PonyLee, Hermes Pittakos, and Yunen Rhi.

Panel Discussion:
California Counter Cultures, Magick + Myth-playfeaturing panelists Devon Deimler (tbc), Scott Hobbs (Cameron Parsons Foundation), Bradford Nordeen, Adamxvi + Jodi Wille

ENTERING THE ASCLEPEION is an expansive afternoon at the Philosophical Research Society (PRF) and the happening site of our own Pasiphäe conception. Pasiphäe, the Witch Queen of Crete: A Glory Hole Origin Story is a retelling of the bestial myth, in which the wife of King Minos commands Daedalus to construct a wooden structure so that she might copulate with Poseidon’s white bull, thus spawning a lovechild, The Minotaur.

Founded in 1934 by scholar, Manly P. Hall, PRS is a research facility dedicated to promoting the study of the world’s wisdom literature. The event will probe the intersections between Hall’s scholarship with Athey’s own interplay of post porn aesthetics and mythological paradigms across cultures.

This event is taking place during ICA LA’s presentation of Queer Communion: Ron Athey, a retrospective curated by Amelia Jones, noted art historian and Robert A. Day Professor of Art & Design, Vice Dean of Academics & Research, and Chair of Critical Studies at USC Roski School of Art and Design. For more information about the Athey exhibition, click here

Dirty Looks Inc is a platform for queer film, video and performance founded in 2011 by Bradford Nordeen. Using film and time-based art to illuminate queer histories and liminal spaces across Los Angeles and New York City, Dirty Looks traces contemporary queer aesthetics through historical works, presenting quintessential LGBTQ film and video, alongside up-and-coming artists and filmmakers. Dirty Looks exhibits a lineage of queer tactics and visual styles for younger artists, casual viewers and seasoned avant-garde filmgoers, alike. A nebulous collective, we have worked closely with Karl McCool, Clara López Menéndez, in addition to over 50 guest curators, through our month-long, city-spanning festival Dirty Looks: On Location. Over the course of eight years, Dirty Looks has staged screenings at The Museum of Modern Art, The Kitchen, Hammer Museum, ICA LA, Participant Inc, White Columns, ONE Archives, Artists Space and Judson Memorial Church. DL began regular Los Angeles programming in January 2015, instating a national reach for our programs.

The Philosophical Research Society was founded in 1934 by Manly Hall to aid all those seeking wisdom in that troubled time, and beyond. Free from sectarian concerns, we have worked to help people of all faiths and philosophies connect with the timeless roots of their beliefs and apply them to the challenges they face in an ever-changing world. Our mission is to facilitate practical and profound wisdom for the twenty-first century all who seek it with compassion and in community. As a nonprofit, on-campus, and online institution dedicated to the pursuit of wisdom, our vision is a community of seekers who are continually discovering, applying, cultivating, and rediscovering practical and profound wisdom in the 21st century.