L-bAR, Digitizing the Past Made Present by Queer University

October 6, 2023, 6-7:30 PM
Lecture, Virtual Event, Workshop, All Ages
Virtual

L-bAR, Digitizing the Past Made Presentis a virtual class taught by Professor Elena Rosa as a part of Queer University.

L-bAR recreates defunct lesbian and queer women’s bars into immersive, interactive digital spaces, through a process of artistic interpretation based on historical artifacts and interviews of community members who frequented the bars. This class will tour the spaces, e.g., The Duchess, New York, Mona’s, San Francisco, and the Plush Pony, Los Angeles—with special guest Chela Plush, owner of the Plush Pony. Students will gain insight into the origins of the bars, why we needed them, and what they tell us about ourselves today.

In addition to this virtual class, there is a Queer University Launch event happening on October 28 at The LGBT Center. Another virtual class taught by Professor Sara Angevine will take place on October 27.

Virtual class link: https://ohyay.co/s/queeruniversity (Participants will need to sign up for an Ohyay account before attending this virtual class).

Presenter Bio

Elena Rosa is a Los Angeles-based playwright, visual artist, performer, and creative technologist. She received her BFA from Drama Centre London and her MFA from Otis College of Art and Design. She created L-bAR, the first interactive, virtual, lesbian and queer women’s storyworld. Elena garnered the prestigious Lorser Feitelson and Helen Lundeberg artist award. She is a 2023 recipient of the Edie Winsdor fellowship in coding. Her art work has appeared in gallery’s including the Los Angeles Municipal Art gallery, and Red Cat in Los Angeles. Her solo theater show How To Be An Ending was performed at the Hudson Guild Theatre in June 2023. 

This program is organized by Queer University as part of the 2023 Circa: Queer Histories Festival, presented by One Institute.

  • QUEER UNIVERSITY is an online educational platform that foregrounds queer perspectives and identities in its teaching, structure, and ideology. We re-imagine what education can look like in an environment of care, acceptance, and inclusion.