LUBIN-LEVY, Joshua; MOTTA, Carlos (eds.)
Petite Mort: Recollections of a Queer Public

“Petite Mort: Recollections of a Queer Public is a book that assembles drawings from memory of spaces in New York City where a public sexual encounter occurred, and presents contributions from an intergenerational group of over 60 gay men.
Conceived as an atlas of queer affection, Petite Mort proposes a subjective blueprint of the city, one that values not simply the space “as is,” but how it has been performed and engaged, highlighting the fundamental connection between public space and queer life. The collected drawings, depicting sites extending from a residential rooftop to The Rambles in Central Park, remind us that public sex is not exclusively about a personal pursuit of pleasure—they also contain the seeds of historical social and political action that have brought together communities of gay men.
Petite Mort asks questions challenging us to expand our vision for queer politics: What if our politics were rebuilt around a broader notion of intimacy rather than individuality? Can we foster, rather than police, the trust and affection inherent to desire and pleasure? Should equality be about difference, rather than assimilation?”
—Joshua Lubin-Levy & Carlos Motta

Published by Forever & Today / Inc., 2011
Design by Carl Williamson, Familiar
Anthologies / Queer Culture / Sex / Urban Studies / Scenes