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The Intercontinental



The Intercontinental

By Jenny K L Goh, on 26 January 2017

Afternoon Tea with The Intercontinental: A symposium on the post-factual

Feb 22nd 3pm- 6pm

Koppel Projects, 93 Baker St, Marylebone, London W1U 6RL

Let’s face the facts: the truth might not be a reality. Or so we are told, creating uncertainty, mistrust and complacency. Afternoon Tea with The Intercontinental reflects on the drama of the political crises of 2016 and the challenges that lie ahead for artists, academics and activists, with reference to the contested concept of the post-factual. The symposium is a platform for discussion about the relations between art and activism, truth and lies. It aims to explore our responsibilities, as cultural producers, to identify, analyse and resist populist rhetoric. It asks how we can find effective strategies together and discover or re-discover our political agency in the face of recent tectonic shifts in the social and political context.

Questions to be addressed include:

How can art intervene effectively to expose and counter culturally mediated distortions and falsehoods?  Why do we seem unable to name lies as such?

How do we negotiate contradictions while remaining open to nuance and complexity? As academics, how can we foster critical thinking and evidence-based argument? The term ‘Post-Trump’ is already in use – what does the prefix ‘post’ do? Is it time to reject the term ‘post-factual’?

The Intercontinental are a group of artist-researchers from the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London.

Guest Speakers

Ginanne Brownell, A London-based freelance writer covering arts and culture stories for publications including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

Jan Kubik, Director of the UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, Professor of Slavonic and East European Studies at UCL SSEES, and Pro-Vice Provost for Europe at UCL.

Simon O’Sullivan, theorist and artist working at the intersection of contemporary art practice, performance and continental philosophy.

Agata Pyzik, Polish writer, journalist and cultural critic who has written on politics, art, music, and culture.

Chaired by Eric Self, musician, performer and post factual researcher.