spoken word / lectures

THE HAWTHORNDEN LECTURE

In 1948, the novelist and poet Jack Kerouac coined the name 'Beat Generation' for an underground, anti-conformist youth movement in New York. In the decade that followed, works such as Kerouac's On the Road, Allen Ginsberg's Howl and William S. Burroughs's Naked Lunch (the last two sparkling obscenity trials that ultimately revolutionised American publishing) formed a distinct 'Beat' literature. Iain Sinclair has been described by the Daily Telegraph as 'one of our most dazzling stylists', and American Smoke, published this month, completes the trilogy he began with Hackney: That Rose-Red Empire and continued with Ghost Milk. In a talk introduced by novelist and screenwriter Deborah Moggach, he conducts a memory interrogation, touching on the past meetings, lost archives, chance discoveries, volcano obsessions and fated decisions of the Beats.

We are grateful to the Hawthornden Charitable Trust for sponsoring this event.

Ian Sinclair on the Beats

<a href="http://dreaminginthevoid.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dreaming in the Void blog</a> | <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dreaminginthevoid" target="_blank">Other sounds</a>

"Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather."
Bill Hicks
Source: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D0BeLz5blM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D0BeLz5blM</a>

One Consciousness by Bill Hicks

<a href="http://dreaminginthevoid.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dreaming in the Void blog</a> | <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dreaminginthevoid" target="_blank">Other sounds</a>

"Conspiracy theory is a kind of epistemological cartoon about reality. I mean isn't it so simple to believe that things are run by the Greys, or isn't it comforting to believe that the Jews are behind everything, or the communist party, or the Catholic Church or the masons. I believe that the truth of the matter is far more terrifying that the real Truth that dare not speak itself is that no one is in control. This stuff is ruled by the equations of dynamics and chaos. Now there may be entities seeking control, the World Bank, the Communist Party, the rich, somebody others, but to seek control is to take enormous aggravations upon yourself, because this process that is under-way will take the control freaks by the short and curly and throw them against the wall."
Terence McKenna
Source: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubDnEWHkjBc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubDnEWHkjBc</a>

Terence McKenna on conspiracy theory

http://www.iq2if.com In this talk, urban shaman Iain Sinclair argues that we live in the age of the Grand Project, when political and economic elites decide that big visions are required to improve districts and cities. The London 2012 Olympics encapsulate this trend towards "retro-futurism" and they will be extremely damaging to East London.

The inaugural If Conference, from debate forum Intelligence Squared, took place on November 25-26th November in London. More than 30 celebrated scientists, award winning architects, farsighted futurologists and other brilliant minds shed light on the excitements and the dangers of tomorrow's world. Visit http://www.iq2if.com for video and picture highlights and to sign up for information about If Conference 2012.

Iain Sinclair: Ghost Milk - Calling time on the Grand Project

The inaugural If Conference, from debate forum Intelligence2, took place on November 25-26th November 2011 in London. More than 30 celebrated scientists, award winning architects, farsighted futurologists and other brilliant minds shed light on the excitements and the dangers of tomorrow's world. Visit iq2if.com for video and picture highlights and to sign up for information about If Conference 2012.

Iain Sinclair: Ghost Milk - Calling time on the Grand Project

IfConference