THE HISTORY OF CRUISING
In collaboration with ArkDes exhibition “Cruising Pavilion: Architecture, gay sex and cruising culture” we present an evening in the footsteps of cruising. Two specially curated short film programs will be shown: one in the museum’s garden and one in a nearby alley. In addition, a panel discussion about cruising as resistance will be held and also a guided tour of the exhibition.

About the exhibition:
‘Cruising’ describes the quest for sex by homosexual men in public spaces. It is an urban pursuit taking place in parks, public toilets and car parks, as well as in dedicated establishments such as sex clubs and bathhouses. But cruising cannot be reduced to neither men nor gays, nor to any definite location. The historical model of cruising is evolving.

Presenting the many facets of cruising culture through the work of international architects, designers and artists, Cruising Pavilion explores a sexual and spatial practice that spans historical and contemporary culture. The combination of digital hook-up apps, urban development, and the commodification of LGTBQ (Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual and Queer) cultures means that traditional cruising grounds are continually adapting. Geospatial technologies have generated a psychosexual geography that spreads across digitally-connected homes and profiles.

The exhibition presents cruising as the producer of a non-hetero architecture that closely mirrors the patriarchal nature of the built environment. Cruising is at once revealed as a resistance, an avant-garde and a vernacular, with an active relevance in and beyond LGTBQ+ circles.

About the panel discussion:
Cruising has shaped queer identities throughout history and has been used as an active resistance act against norms, morals and laws. During the evening, a talk about the history and future of the cruise is presented together with moderator Nicklas Dennermalm.

5pm Guided tour of Cruising Pavilion: Architecture, Gay sex and Cruising culture
6:45pm Panel discussion
7:30pm Movie Program 1: The Sweet Sense of Desire
8:30pm Movie Program 2: In the Darkest of Alleys
9:00pm La Barone plays at Café BLOM
10:30pm ArkDes closes