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Hammer Museum to host TRANSylvania Mania! Halloween extravaganza and art exhibition ‘Demon Hill’

On Friday, the Hammer Museum will host TRANSylvania Mania!, a Halloween extravaganza featuring stand-up comedy, bands, seasonal menus, art exhibitions and “tranimal” drag makeovers. The festivities begin at 7 p.m. (courtesy of Austin Young)

TRANSYLVANIA MANIA!
Friday, 7 p.m.
Hammer Museum, FREE

By Jenna Belhumeur

Oct. 26, 2010 11:27 p.m.

Correction: The original version of this article contained an error. Austin Young is an artist.

When people think “Transylvania,” words such as spooky, Dracula and Halloween may come to mind. But based on the Hammer Museum’s interpretation of the word, synonyms of transgender seem more fitting.

On Friday, the Hammer Museum will be presenting its TRANSylvania Mania! Halloween extravaganza, complete with stand-up comedy, bands, mysterious art exhibitions, seasonal menus and “tranimal” drag makeovers.

While many may be unaccustomed to the term “tranimal,” event artist Austin Young explains that it is merely a combination of the words “tranny” and “animal.” Though one does not resemble a cat, dog or any other four-legged creature by the end of this “TRANSformation,” Young assured that the makeover will leave one unrecognizable, something that Halloween is all about.

“It’s interesting because guys and girls end up looking kind of the same,” Young said. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re straight or gay, everyone’s welcome, and everyone who undergoes the makeover ends up looking like a weirdly glamorous, other-worldly creature,” he said.

Armed with a squad of “tranimal” makeover experts and a camera, Young will also be at hand on Friday to take before and after portraits of those who choose to undergo their first dab into the art of drag.

Another focus of the night will be on Julian Hoeber’s art installation “Demon Hill,” a freestanding structure based on the architecture of “gravitational mystery spots,” intended to leave visitors questioning their senses. While the exhibition doesn’t officially open until Saturday, the party will feature a special sneak preview with Hoeber. The artist will be giving tours of the house and explaining the ideas behind his “Demon Hill” project.

“The “˜Demon Hill’ house is a building that is constructed on weird angles to manipulate your perception of gravity,” said Camille Thoma, the public programs representative for TRANSylvania Mania!

“When you enter into the space, it’s hard to perceive that you are on a level surface until you do things like throw a ball or turn on a water faucet. It’ll give the illusion of water running uphill or a ball bouncing backwards. It’s meant to manipulate and confuse your perception senses,” Thoma added.

TRANSylvania Mania! will also host Ian Harvie, the only female-to-male transgender stand-up comic in the country. According to Harvie, his gender-bending act is often accompanied by surprise, one that he finds appropriate for Halloween.

“Being a transgender is a part of my act and is something I incorporate into a good portion of my material,” Harvie said.

“I make it funny in a way that everyone can wrap their heads around … what it means to be trans and how I think that everyone is a little bit trans themselves,” he added.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to view the latest issue of Original Plumbing, a San Francisco-based magazine whose volume two release is coincidentally around this time and geared toward the transgender community.

While combining the themes of transexuality and Halloween may seem an odd pairing, Thoma said she found the theme appropriate for the fourth annual Halloween party and a reflection of Hammer’s LGBT-friendly stance.

“Halloween just seems like a perfect, fun time to incorporate this,” Thoma said.
As Harvie explained, Halloween is the one time of year that allows people to be something that either they’re not or that they’d like to be more of.

“People like me, who consider themselves “˜beautiful freaks,’ can come out and play with gender and costumes alike,” Harvie said.

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Jenna Belhumeur
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