Letters & Politics – for November 4, 2011
http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/74796
Posted in Philosophy
In 1946 workers struck across Oakland and closed the city down for three days. On November 2nd, a general strike and mass day of action have been called by Occupy Oakland to shut down the wealthiest one percent of the population. Labor historian Gifford Hartman discusses the 1946 — and 1934 — general strike, while movement scholars Cynthia Kaufman and Eddie Yuen explore the strengths, weaknesses, and future of the Occupy Wall Street protests. (ATG Site)
(mp3)
Posted in Uncategorized
The Art-Architecture Complex
by Hal Foster
A leading art theorist analyzes the global style in art and architecture.
Hal Foster, author of the acclaimed Design and Crime, argues that a fusion of architecture and art is a defining feature of contemporary culture. While architects such as Zaha Hadid and Herzog and de Meuron draw on art to reanimate design, architecture has inspired fundamental transformations in painting, sculpture and film, which are also explored here. The book includes an extensive conversation with Richard Serra.
At the same time Foster points to a “global style” of architecture, as practiced by Norman Foster, Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, that is analogous to the “international style” of Le Corbusier, Gropius and Mies—a global style that, more than any art, conveys the look of modernity today, both its dreams and its delusions. In these ways Foster demonstrates that “the art-architecture complex” is a key indicator of broader social and economic trajectories and in urgent need of analysis and debate.
Posted in Art
Acclaimed art theorist Hal Foster’s new book, The Art-Architecture Complex, tackles the fusion of architecture and art that has increasingly come to dominate both fields as the new ‘global style’. Foster’s work has inspired fresh interest in these issues in the media.
“The marriage between capitalism and democracy is over”
Posted in Philosophy, Video
Slavoj Žižek hosts
COMMUNISM, A NEW BEGINNING?
with Verso Books
at Cooper Union, New York
October 14th-16th 2011
In response to publication of The Idea of Communism, edited by Slavoj Žižek and Costas Douzinas, Verso Books, Slavoj Žižek and Cooper Union host “Communism, A New Beginning?” this weekend, October 14th to 16th.
A LIVE STREAM of “Communism, A New Beginning?” will be available from Friday, October 14th at 6pm EDT to Sunday, October 16th at 1pm EDT. Access the LIVE STREAM through Verso’s Conference discussion page. You must log in to join the discussion and view the LIVE STREAM. Register now if you don’t yet have an account. (more)
Posted in Philosophy
Iva Radivojevic documents Occupy Wall Street.
This morning was a good time to catch up on my Zizek videos and I found this one with Assange and moderated by Amy Goodman. You can check out the 2hr talk here at DemocracyNow.Org along with a full transcript and various formats to download.
Posted in Philosophy, Video
This link just came through by way of Semiotext(e). HTMLGiant excerpted some of Atta by Jarett Kobek. I hadn’t heard of it before tonight but I’ll be sure to pick it up. I’ve read a few of the Semitext(e) Intervention Series and haven’t been disappointed (the imprint is great overall of course). So, you know, get at it!
Also, be sure and scroll down to the bottom of the htmlgiant link for some Kobek appearances. Like in SF this week at Modern Times Bookstore Sept. 22nd at 7pm. And a few more dates in NY and LA coming up.
(from htmlgiant) New from Semiotext(e) is Jarett Kobek’s ATTA, “a fictionalized psychedelic biography of Mohamed Atta that circles around a simple question: what if 9/11 was as much a matter of architectural criticism as religious terrorism?” (the rest is here)
Posted in Text
