Nerd Nite XVIII: On Purpose or by Accident? The Urban Conspiracy.
Well hello Nerds! It’s time to boost those brains after the summer recess. Join us for the 18th edition of Nerd Nite filled with ruins and paranoia. Yes, you read that right! The breathtaking photography of Mark Minkjan will take you on a journey through failed architecture. From the tangible we go to the cerebral and move into the wondrous world of conspiracy thinking. Crazy crackpots? Not according to our next speaker: Richard Newell. Psyched? Well, we are. Be there and be square.
Mark Minkjan – Failed Architecture
Fascinated by Failure
When you see, hear or read about architecture and the development of cities it is virtually always about progress: highlighting the newest and the shiny, and holding the promise of a better future. However, there is perhaps much more to learn from the failures: from architecture-gone-wrong, urban decay and (creative) destruction. Since the built environment is a product of our societies, the causes of urban failure can teach us about how cities work, malfunction and change over time. Simultaneously, decay, ruination and imperfection appeals to the imagination and produces fascinating imagery, art and ideas. It stimulates creative thinking, emotions of melancholia and nostalgia and a historical understanding.
Mark Minkjan is an urban geographer interested in contemporary urban phenomena from a historical perspective. He is Editor in Chief at Failed Architecture, a research endeavour into urban failure, and part of Non-fiction, an office for cultural innovation focussing on urban development, heritage and arts. He co-edited and contributed to the books Farming the City and We Own The City.
Richard Newell – Conspiracy Theories
Live long and Conspire
Conspiracy theories and those who study them are viewed in our contemporary society with a certain suspicion. In my short talk I want to change your view of conspiracy theories by taking you on a journey through the many aspects of this alternate culture and explaining to you my attraction to it. I intend to show to you that the rise in conspiracy theories represent a perfectly understandable reaction to an increasingly complex world in which traditional trust in authority is declining and show that in many cases they are nearer to the truth than you might think. I hope to convince you that the healthiest thing to be both individually and as a society are conspiracy theorists.
Richard Newell is a scientific publisher based in Amsterdam and also a PhD candidate finishing his studies in experimental physics at the UvA. In his free time he likes nothing more than to delve into the world behind the headlines and immerse himself in the stories that lay beneath the surface. He likes English beer, progressive rock and science fiction. He dislikes plastic cutlery, piped music and modern celebrity culture. Ask him why if you think you have the time!!
Join us on September 26th (8:00 pm) at CREA Amsterdam: Nieuwe Achtergracht 170, 1018 WV Amsterdam.
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