Book and Art Project: Assume Nothing by Rebecca Swan

Queer artist Rebecca Swan from Aotearoa / New Zealand will go to New York to launch ‘Assume Nothing’ – her beautiful coffee table book about gender diversity.

October 29, 2010 Book Launch: Assume Nothing by Rebecca Swan
19:30 – 21:30 hrs. Downstairs @ The Tank, 354 W. 45th Street between 8th and 9th. on Manhattan, New York, USA.
(Buy tickets ($10) for Assume Nothing by Rebecca Swan at Brown Paper Tickets).

Assume Nothing
Rebecca Swan (Author), Judith “Jack” Halberstam (Foreword)
Publisher: Soft Skull Press; Bilingual edition (October 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593762879
ISBN-13: 978-1593762872
Paperback: 112 pages

Assume Nothing is a book, an exhibtion and film honouring gender diversity across cultures and continents. Film-maker Kirsty MacDonald has documented Rebecca’s her working relationship with some of those photographed for the Asume Nothing art project.

The organizers of the above book launch event says “This one night event is sure to open your heart and mind, make you laugh and cry, and leave you with an expanded sense of what’s possible. It is an intoxicating cocktail of stunning performance, teasers from Assume Nothing the film and passionate insights from Rebecca into the heart of this 15 year project.”

Assume Nothing trailer. Excerpt from New Zealand filmmaker Kirsty MacDonald’s Feature Documentary “Assume Nothing.”

Films Featuring:
MilDred Gerestant, the performance artist formerly known as Dred www.dredlove.com.
Jack Byrne,  performer, trans activist and Rebecca’s partner.
Shigeyuki Kihara, a multi media artist, who is Samoan, Japanese and fa’afafine.
Ema Lyon, a Maori weaver, who describes herself as ia (which in Te Reo Maori means both he and she).
Mani Bruce Mitchell, an intersex activist, who shares the power of photographs in the reclaiming of her identity.

Del LaGrace Volcano, a gender variant visual artist and activist, says about the book: “Not only does Rebecca Swan provide us with a timely and evocative motto for the 21st century, she does it with style and panache. ‘Assume Nothing’ shows us what it looks like when theory is put into practice with love and considerable skill.”

Related Links
Rebecca Swan’s website