Lost Futures: A Workshop with Vincent Lê

Brought to you by the SSAF

“So when you gonna tell her 
That we did that, too?
She thinks it’s special
But it’s all reused
That was the show we talked about 
Played you the song she’s singing now when she’s with you 
Do you get déjà vu when she’s with you?”
—Olivia Rodrigo

There is a fashionable trend in contemporary popular philosophy, critical theory, and art which holds that the days of the future are numbered, soon to leave nothing in its wake but a monotonous and immobile present without novelty or surprise. Through guided discussions and close readings of Byung-Chul Han, Franco “Bifo” Berardi, and Mark Fisher, this workshop considers the evidence for and against their claim that “the future has been cancelled.” We will also look at various songs and artworks that both illustrate and contest their thesis.

WHEN: Tuesday 8 April, 1-3PM

WHERE: Meet at the Arts Lab, Level 1, Arts and Cultural Building, Monash Road, Building 159 (MAP), next to the George Paton Gallery. 

RSVP HERE

Vincent Lê is a catastrophe-drunk philosopher, PhD graduate from Monash University, and former researcher in The Terraforming think tank. As a tutor and lecturer, he has haunted the classrooms of Monash University, Deakin University and the Melbourne School of Continental Philosophy. His ravings can be found in Urbanomic, Art + Australia, Memo Review and Un Magazine among other publications. He is a founding editor of the art history and cultural theory publishing house Index Press. His first book The Future in the Making is coming soon to a future near you.