America has been called a “proposition nation.” Those who promote this idea believe that belief is all it takes, really, to call yourself an American. Just say the pledge, wave the flag, sign the documents, believe in freedom and personal liberty and personal responsibility and “rights;” then just recognize the world as naught but a … More Contra ‘Belief’?
I A few hours after Elon Musk tweeted today, with ostensible schadenfreude, “The Branch Covidians are upset,” he appeared onstage in San Francisco with Dave Chappelle, which caused a “major fight” (Musk’s words) to break out in the audience. It seems like wherever he goes, Musk summons Discordia. Discordia is a Roman goddess often associated … More Elon Musk and the Virtues of Discordia
Founding I have been up all night, trying to draft this manifesto. But no unbounded pride buoys me up, only caffeine and the expectations of my comrades. Earlier today, these comrades, now all sucking their pillows in sleep, sent me an outline of what they wanted, a rough sketch of grand plans “to destroy the … More How to Write an Avant-Garde Manifesto
British Library curator Jon Fawcett asked me to participate in a panel discussion (or what he described as a debate) on the Avant-Garde manifesto. The panel was advertised on the British Library website thusly: A slap in the face of public taste: The art of manifestos February 18, Event time: 18.30 – 20.00 Location: Conference … More •A Slap in the Face @ British Library•
Yesterday my poem Mass Redux was performed @ Wigmore Hall. The work was part of Voiceworks, a collaboration between Birkbeck’s Contemporary Poetics Research Centre and the School of Music at Guildhall. I had been spinning some of the lines of the poem that was to become Mass Redux in my head for some time. I … More •Mass Redux @ Wigmore Hall•
A few days ago, I met with Prof. Esther Leslie and wrote down some questions/issues that we agreed were essential to cover in our upcoming British Library panel debate on the Avant-Garde manifesto. But somehow, between then and yesterday afternoon, I managed to misplace these notes. So appropriate, I think, for a discussion of the … More •Breaking the Rules @ British Library•
One day after the ‘A Slap in the Face’ panel, Jon Fawcett called again and asked me if I could join in some kind of Avant-Garde comedy troupe that was performing for Breaking the Rules at the British Library. But I sadly had to decline because of this: This weekend I participated in another panel … More •Sleep Talk @ The Wellcome•
Yesterday was the long-awaited launch of my so-called audiomagazine, The Howler.the howler audiomagazine, v1 Of course I waited until the last minute to prepare for the event. In the afternoon, I went down to RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, for you non-Londoners) down on Malet Street to set things up, and, gasp, to see … More •Launching The Howler @ The Royal Academy•
A woman named Capucine Perrot from the The Serpentine Gallery contacted me last week and asked if I would be interested in submitting a new manifesto for their an October event, billed as a ‘Manifesto Marathon’the serpentine gallery pavilion, hyde park, london So yesterday I went to go tour the facility at The Serpentine, in … More •Serpentine Gallery Manifesto•
Unease and excitement made me sleepless the eve of the big show. I spent the wee hours before the dawn exploring the distorted topologies of cerebration like a good insomnaut. At some point I must have stumbled into sleep, and there stumbled upon a lucid dream: As if in scenes from a nineteen-teens sped-up projector … More •The Sound Moneyfesto @ The Serpentine•
Scrivner's Pyre 