K-Punk Quarantined — Cold Rationalism & Psychedelic Consciousness: Mark Fisher’s Acid Reflux
On June 8th 2020, I will be giving a (virtual) guest lecture as part of the University of Birmingham’s Contemporary Theory Reading Group.
Starting Tuesday the 26th of May at 3pm the Contemporary Theory Reading Group will be hosting a series of seminar sessions on the legacy and work of Mark Fisher. These sessions are designed to be informal exercises to introduce Fisher’s wide variety of writing on various topics, including: Popular and Counter-Culture, ideas relating to Ecocriticism, Music Criticism and Hauntology, Science-Fiction, and the Weird and Eerie. In true likeness to Fisher’s work, these sessions will be open explorations of these themes, and hopefully allow for critical reflection on different popular cultural artifacts from a broad range of media. To help promote a sense of unity in these difficult times, sessions will also feature collaborations with other reading groups in the department, such as Gothica and the Dystopias Reading Group.
The sessions will also be complimented by a guest lecture by Matt Colquhoun, author of the first book-length piece of secondary fiction on Fisher’s work, Egress: On Mourning, Melancholy and Mark Fisher (2020). Egress was first used by Fisher to describe ‘latent acts of exit that were central to the weird fictions he wrote about’. Using Fisher’s writing as a guide, Colquhoun will use his thoughts and encounters with philosophy and popular culture to discuss his own experience of egress after Mark Fisher’s death on the 13th of January 2017. Colquhoun’s brilliant book explores Fisher’s work alongside Westworld and the American imaginary of the Wild West, D.H. Lawrence and Popular Modernism, Friendship and the work of Maurice Blanchot, and the acidic quality of Aphex Twin’s music, and we expect his lecture to be full of many equally compelling references!
The Guest Lecture will take place on Monday the 8th of June at 5pm. To register for a link to join the event, please sign up via eventbrite (places limited).
For a link to join the seminars please email contemptheoryuob@gmail.com, or alternatively message us on Twitter @Theory_UoB.
I’ll be talking about Acid Communism and what we can predict the book would have looked like, drawing on the structure of Fisher’s final postgraduate module that he was teaching at the time of his death, “Postcapitalist Desire”, and a number of essays and blogposts he wrote that discuss the topics he covered (and had intended to cover). You can read the full abstract here and you can find more information about the seminars themselves here.
PlaugePod Live Day 53
Just like the shea hand cream in the drawer by the bed, PlaguePod remains the softening moisturiser applied generously to my cracked, dry and over-scrubbed quarantine interiority.
A late night hang with Agnès Gayraud and Mark Fell. 13th May 2020.
The Pseudodoxology Podcast Network — In Conversation with Kantbot
Scrambling through the nondescript halls of Goldsmiths, University of London, Matt Colquhoun outruns the Agents of Hyper-Capitalism, or something. Is he jacking into the Matrix? Or out of it? Who can even say anymore. Abandoning his slave name to become Xenogothic, he joins me to hack into the mainframe of the simulation, to upload the pirate code that will emancipate humanity. Or whatever. To be honest I don’t know how computer stuff really works. Anyways, I’m very happy for Xenogothic to join us to discuss his excellent new book, Egress: On Mourning, Melancholy and Mark Fisher. I think its about how to configure your modem, at least I hope it is, because I have no idea if this is making it into your computer screens or not. In any event, it’s a can’t miss episode to be sure.
This was an excellent and far-reaching conversation with Kantbot about Mark Fisher, my book Egress and — at its core — dialectical materialism. An incredibly productive chat and the best conversation I’ve had about the book so far. Highly recommended.
You can listen to this episode of the podcast for free here.
Tank Podcast — In Conversation with Guy Mackinnon-Little
How can the experience of death become an occasion to imagine new ways of living together? In this episode of the TANK Podcast, Guy Mackinnon-Little speaks to Matt Colquhoun about his new book Egress: On Mourning, Melancholy and Mark Fisher, which narrates the collective mourning of Fisher’s death while using this experience as the basis for a new politics of community and post-capitalist desire.
It was a pleasure to chat to Guy Mackinnon-Little from Tank Magazine about my book Egress.
You can listen to the podcast here.
PlaguePod Live Day 9
Talking Ballard and coronatrauma with Simon Sellars and Lee Gamble. 28th March 2020.
PlaguePod Live Day 1
A transnational hang in cyberspace with the coronacru. 20th March 2020.
Egress: On Mourning, Melancholy and Mark Fisher — Book Launch, ICA London
On 11th March 2020, I was in conversation with Kodwo Eshun at the ICA in London, to launch my book, Egress, published by Repeater Books.
Egress: On Mourning, Melancholy and Mark Fisher — DEATH // SENTENCE
Many, many thanks to Gareth and Langdon from DEATH // SENTENCE for inviting me onto their podcast to talk about Mark Fisher and my forthcoming book Egress: On Mourning, Melancholy and Mark Fisher.
It was a really lovely and humbling way to spend an afternoon and my first opportunity to talk about the circumstances from which this book emerged with two people who’ve already read it. I hugely enjoyed our conversation and I hope you enjoy listening back to it.
You can hear the episode on Soundcloud, Spotify, and iTunes. You should absolutely go and support them on Patreon too.
Capitalist Realism: 10 Years On — University of Huddersfield
Organised by Sam Gillies, this conference sought to return to Mark Fisher’s first book Capitalist Realism and reflect on its insights and observations ten years on:
The Centre for Research in New Music (CeReNeM) will host a two-day symposium in February to reflect upon cultural products of the last ten years to gain some insight into the contemporary state of capitalist realism. What observations can be made from culture from the 2010’s as it relates to Fisher’s original text? How has capitalist realism been challenged over the last decade? What avenues have emerged to challenge the dominant narrative of culture under capitalism? And where do our current cultural products indicate where we are heading and what are the possibilities for creating change?
On 16th February 2020, I delivered the keynote lecture on desire and the implicit influence of Gilles Deleuze’s critical and clinical thinking on the writings of Mark Fisher.
For more information on the conference and its schedule, visit the conference website here.
This event was recorded. Video will be embedded here as soon as it becomes available.
On k-punk: Egress and the Fisher-Function — CTM Festival, Berlin
Organised and moderated by Terence Sharp, I was invited to take part in one of two panels on the legacy of Mark Fisher held at the 2020 edition of Berlin’s CTM Festival.
Taking place inside the Kunstquartier Bethanien on Thursday 30th January 2020, I was in conversation with Lisa Blanning and Steven Warwick. You can find more information on the CTM website here.
For more information on the second panel, featuring Dane Sutherland and Dhanveer Singh Brar, click here.
‘Insufficient Armour’ Book Launch — Spazio Maiocchi, Milan
A (lo-fi) video introduction to my essay, “The Will To Deform”, featured in Insufficient Armour, a book produced by Nero Editions in collaboration with The United Standard.
This video was screened at an event at Spazio Maiocchi during Milan Fashion Week, showcasing The United Standard’s A/W 2020 collection.
You can find more information about the collection and the project via i-D Magazine here.
For k-punk 2020 — Goldsmiths SU, University of London
Thinking with Mark Fisher as a dancefloor, a party to follow the third annual Mark Fisher Memorial Lecture, given by Simon Reynolds, at Goldsmiths, University of London.
This event features a live set from Tetine as well as DJ sets from Mark Leckey, Chooc Ly, Jennifer Walton and rkss.
‘for k-punk’ Fundraiser — Tasty Bakery, London
A party to raise money for an even bigger party. I DJed at Tasty Bakery in Peckham as part of a fundraiser for the third annual for k-punk night following the Mark Fisher Memorial Lecture at Goldsmiths in January 2020.
Wyrd Signal #23: Hannibal — Podcast
I joined Lucy and Sean of Wyrd Signal to talk about Hannibal Lecter, serial killing and queerness for 3+ hours in August.
It was a brilliant day and I think the fun we had is palpable in our chat. Go support them on Patreon.
A Sad & Lonely Constellation 2019 — Caffè Letterario Macao, Milan
I was beamed into Caffè Letterario Macao in Milan on Friday 3rd Mary 2019 to do a short presentation on AI, communism, dogs and mythology for A Sad & Lonely Constellation: Navigating the Antinomies of Technological Hope, a conference which “attempts to navigate through the thick swarm of hopes surrounding the body of Artificial Intelligence as it accelerates towards us.”
You can read a transcript of this talk here.
#WYRDPATCHWORKSHOP 04 — Punctum, Prague
On Sunday 24th March 2019, I gave a talk about the relationship between accelerationism and patchwork, reaffirming lines of flight in the aftermath of the Christchurch terrorist attack in New Zealand earlier that month. This was the fourth edition of #WYRDPATCHWORKSHOP, an event organised byDiffractions Collective at Punctum in Prague.
You can read a transcript of my talk here.
Hyper / stition — ‘Pisalni stroji’ on Radio Študent, Ljubljana
In March 2019, I made an appearance on ‘Pilsani stroji’, a radio show hosted by Marko Bauer and Primož Krašovec on Ljubljana’s Radio Študent. The theme of the episode was “Hyper / stition”.
You can listen to the show here and read a transcript of my text here.
Unboxing the Machines: An Unboxing Video
Robin at Urbanomic sent me a Toy Model AGI Playset. I decided to make an unboxing video for it to demonstrate how it can help you better understand Reza Negarestani’s highly-anticipated 2018 book Intelligence & Spirit.
Xenogothic Radio #4: The Sounds and Silences of Llansteffan
A dip into the archives: an audio project made for the village of Llansteffan in West Wales back in 2015. It wasn’t made as a radio show but it basically is on. This is an excuse to give it an extra lease of life.
Xenogothic Radio #3: Halloween Mix
We interrupt our usual philosophising to bring you a 90-minute Halloween mix of black metal, noise, jungle and other stuff.
Xenogothic Radio #2: The Breakdown and the Breakthrough
From Xasthur to Kanye West to Albert Ayler to Sister Nancy and back to Phil Elverum.
Episode #2 is about breakdowns and breakthroughs.
Xenogothic Radio #1: Introduction
An introduction to this radio show with a 30-minute mix of jungle to start things off…
Phil Elverum for Invisible Oranges | Oliver Coates’ ‘Invisible Jukebox’
Acid Communism: An Introduction to “Egress” — Somerset House, London
On Monday 12th November 2018, I was invited to lead a session of Laura Grace Ford and Dan Taylor’s Acid Communism reading group at Somerset House Studios.
You can read a transcript of my initial introduction to the session here.
Hermitix #1: The Work of Mark Fisher — Podcast
I spoke to Meta-Nomad about the work of Mark Fisher for the first edition of his podcast, Hermitix, starting with Capitalist Realism and meandering scatterbrained through the rest of Fisher’s published works, with some nods elsewhere in between.
You can listen to the episode here.
#WYRDPATCHWORKSHOP 01 — Punctum, Prague
I spoke about the aesthetic implications of the weird and the wyrd in relation to patchwork (via Skype) at this event held at Punctum in Prague on Saturday 22nd September 2018. The event was live-streamed on Justin Murphy’s YouTube channel.
You can read a transcript of my presentation here.
For K-Punk: 50 Years — SET Dalston, London
An event organised with lēves to celebrate what would have been Mark Fisher’s 50th birthday. The night was held at SET in Dalston on Saturday 14th July 2018.
Other Life: “The Ethics of Shoplifting From Self-Service Kiosks” — Podcast
Talking patchwork, amongst other things, with Justin Murphy on a livestream on his YouTube channel on Tuesday 3rd July 2018.
For K-Punk: Consciousness Razing — SET Dalston, London
Twelve hours of workshops, performances and DJ sets, organised with lēves and funded by the Visual Cultures department at Goldsmiths. This event took place at SET in Dalston on Saturday 9th June 2018.
For K-Punk — Tola, London
A night at Tola in Peckham, organised with lēves, following Kodwo Eshun’s inaugural Mark Fisher Memorial Lecture which took place on Friday 19th January 2018, featuring contributions from Mark’s friends, colleagues, students and admirers. I held down the decks for the latter half of the night.
The Fisher-Function: ‘Flatline Constructs’ — Goldsmiths, University of London
A reading group and discussion which took place at Goldsmiths, University of London, on Thursday 1st June 2017.
K’Exchange: ‘Monastic Vampirism’ — Goldsmiths, University of London
Taking Giorgio Agamben’s monasticism (The Highest Poverty, 2013) and Nick Land’s vampirism (The Thirst for Annihilation, 1992) and holding them precariously in orbit of each other amongst a constellation of other mad philosophers, this talk will seek a new madness for our time; a speculative madness; a productive madness.
Recorded at Goldsmiths, University of London, on Thursday 23rd February 2017.
