The Seropositive Ball
The Seropositive Ball was a networked event that lasted 69 hours
non-stop. It was a shadow conference to the World AIDS Conference, which
was held the same days in San Francisco. Because people with HIV and
AIDS were not welcome in the USA, both the Paradiso gathering as well as
the especially designed 0+net offered a way to show commitment, share
feelings and insights, exchange knowledge and art and express political
views for many people involved.
The 0+net was also accessible in some of the AIDS wards in Amsterdam as well as in San Francisco and New York. The 0+net was a 'demo' for a to be developed HIVnet: it offered an easy intuitive interface (the world wide web had not yet been invented yet), mail and newsgroups, a first online art gallery and many knowledge sources. Participants, contributors and organizers of the Seropositive Ball came from ACT UP, self organizations around HIV and AIDS, the arts, the sciences, the medical establishment and political bodies. Dramatizing the differences in relation to the uncommon ground of HIV and AIDS at the time as well as finding the common ground between all involved were in the focus of our attention and were a great concern all along in the creation of this networked event.
The Seropositive Ball was presented by PARADISO Amsterdam in a continuous programme of 69 hours between June 21 17.00 hrs and June 24 14.00 hrs, 1990, in cooperation with TIME BASED ARTS, CICT/ University of Amsterdam, ACT UP Amsterdam / New York / San Francisco, HIV Vereniging NL, Schorerstichting, Buddy League, NCAB, Ministerie van WVC, AIDS info, ANTENNA, Mozeshuis, STEIM, Stichting Perdu, Filmtheatre Desmet, Bookshop Vrolijk, Academisch Medisch Centrum Amsterdam, Cornell Hospital New York, Simon Watson Project Space, Gay Men's Health Crisis, ACT NOW, 69 HOURS, VIth International Conference on AIDS. With the kind cooperation of Apple Computers BV.
The Ball Organisers
Eric Claasse
Simone Delome
David Garcia
Wil v.d. Meer
Caroline Nevejan (director)
Rolf Pixley
Patrice Riemens
Heleen Riper
The Seropositive Ball Reader
The Seropositive Ball reader provides background reading, activist
statements, analyses and essays, as welll as general introductions by
the organisers and editors of the event and the reader.
The reader was edited by Heleen Riper, David Garcia, and Patrice Riemens.
Published in Amsterdam, December 1990.
Download the pdf:
www.tacticalmediafiles.net/TMF_documents/SeroPositiveBall.pdf