Friday 5 March 2010

Ghost Lectures

Hi all,

I bumped into Will Rose on my way to Green Sand yesterday and we had a small chat that generated an idea to share with the group. Seeing as the PA is set up in the space now, and we have a projector and video also, perhaps we can begin the 'visiting speaker' series very cheaply by playing pre-recorded lectures from the internet and talking afterwards.

I have a couple of Alain Badiou lectures that I think are really good, Will has a Simon Critchley one. There's also lectures on youtube by Sophie Calle, Slavov Zizek, Judith Butler, Badiou, Baudrillard etc at http://www.youtube.com/user/egsvideo which we could watch together? I also have a Zizek documentary that's reasonable interesting and I'm sure everyone else has things. It'll be like a reading group I suppose but more about listening and watching - futuristic like.

Anyone up for this and if so, do you have anything you'd like to contribute to the programme? I suggest we have it regularly on a Wednesday and have two lectures (by different people per night).

9 comments:

  1. Yes, really great idea. I'm actually more up for that than having visiting speakers in person! x Martha

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  2. I think the idea of lecture screenings is fab. Wednesdays aren’t the best day for me as 1st and 2nd Wednesday of the month are already full but I’d come to the sessions I could.

    I’d like to watch a video by Stephen Pinker about his book ‘The Stuff of Thought’ that is to do with the relationship between things, words and thoughts. I’ve been reading the book recently and am specifically interested in his explanation of grammar expressing physical properties of the world and things like intention and causality. It seems like something of a qualifier to the linguistically dominated theories of meaning and subjectivity that formed some of my art education anyway (Saussure, Lacan, Benveniste).
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBpetDxIEMU

    Also maybe these lectures by Susan Greenfield, the neuroscience of creativity. I suspect they may be slightly irritating. I just watched the beginning and it starts with a picture of Van Gough (groan). But maybe irritating is interesting. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj4goSnBcyo
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Spxfkhh7HE

    Perhaps we could have a date each week when people need to submit suggestions by and then all vote on them. The most popular ones get shown.

    There’s also loads of pod-casts from the Tate that I never get around to listening to on my own.

    http://www.tate.org.uk/onlineevents/podcast/feed.xml

    The 2 most recent: Anthropologies of the Present: The End of Capitalism? Revolution and Repetition and Don't look Back: Radical thinkers and the arts since 1909 sound interesting.

    I guess pod-casts could be listened to in the venue or as ‘homework’ for interested members who might want to meet up and discuss them later.

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  3. This is a great idea. Unfortunately Weds nights are out for me which is a big shame because this is probably the sort of stuff that I'd find most interesting / relevant / helpful. I guess I could watch at home and then contribute through the blog - but it's not quite the same.

    Any chance of day-time sessions now and again?

    I'll have a think about stuff to watch.

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  4. Wednesday nights aren't good for me either but as Dave says we can always listen to them at home and comment (but I suppose I'm more likely to comment if I can talk rather than write).

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  5. Lets not do it on Wednesdays then! Thursdays better? Who else is free on afternoons?

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  6. I wrote the above comment, not Carmichael. Computer madness.

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  7. To Yvandy: I'm free on Thursday afternoons. xm

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  8. In the words of Damo Suzuki:
    "When I start surfing in net around one decade back, I was chatting sometimes and found all those behind masks. Lady is not lady (behind mask is man) kind of stuff. Crazy world."

    The ghost lecture idea is very good, thursdays are good for me. Stu

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  9. I like the ghost lectures idea a lot too, and Thursdays should be fine. It makes sense as all the people we want to have come speak might cost a lot, even if we are splitting the cost between us.

    I get tired so might not always be able to do two nights in a week. But I'll see how I go!

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