Imaginary Futures » Lisa Devaney

Author to Host Leiden University Conference – 3rd October 2007

Lisa Devaney — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 21:22:33 +0000

Dr. Richard Barbrook will host and speak at The Netherlands Conference “The Futures of Digital Technology�? at Leiden University in The Netherlands, 3rd October 2007. He joins academics, digital professionals and writers, including popular science fiction writer China Mièville. Please see the attached press release and conference flyer for more information about this event.

Download the workshop programme (PDF)

Download the press release (Word)

The Guardian Features Imaginary Futures

Lisa Devaney — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:24:20 +0000

In “How we have been fooled by utopian visions of the future”, Christine Evans-Pughe, writing for The Guadian’s Technology section, concludes of Richard Barbrook’s Imaginary Futures that:

Barbrook has an amusing take on our distorted − if not delusional − relationship with technology, but his underlying point is serious: future visions of technology are used to distract us and also control us, and if we forget these imaginary futures, we are likely to repeart them. -The Guardian, Thursday, June 7, 2007

For the full transcript of this article view here.

Book Launch Photos Live

Lisa Devaney — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 21:11:24 +0000

Thanks to all – about 300 of you – who attended the Imaginary Futures book launch celebration on 16th May 2007 at Madame JoJos in London’s SoHo. Photos are now posted on Flickr.com, and will soon be added to the Imaginary Futures Gallery on this website. Please view the photos here.

First Review

Lisa Devaney — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 21:08:27 +0000

Writer Sarah Snider has reviewed Richard Barbrook’s newly released book Imaginary Futures for Culture Wars

She comments that:

Imaginary Futures shows how technology has itself been, and is still, mediated by competing versions of the future. The parallax of time allows us to turn correlation into causality, retroactively instilling agents with intentionality, and actions with meaning.

Culture Wars is the first formal review to be published, and more are due soon. To read the full review click here.

Author To Host SOUNDWAVES Artist Evening

Lisa Devaney — Thu, 24 May 2007 11:15:13 +0000

Join Richard this coming Wednesday, 30th May, to explore new sonic artworks showing in the SOUNDWAVES exhibition, a colloboration of Kinetica Museum and Cybersonica, running until 29th June. Richard will introduce audiences to Julie Freeman (Specious Dialogue), Michael Markert (Kontakstation and kII 2.2) and Andy Huntingdon (tapTap) who have produced works for the exhibition. The talk starts at 6 pm at Kinetica Museum in Spitalfields Market (see www.kinetica-museum.org) and tickets will be sold at the door for £7, with £5 concessions. Copies of Imaginary Futures will be available for sale.

Author Appearance – Housmans 29th May

Lisa Devaney — Thu, 24 May 2007 11:01:07 +0000

Richard Barbrook will discuss his new book Imaginary Futures at Housmans bookshop this coming Tuesday, 29th May, 2007. Housemans specialises in books and periodicals of radical interest and progressive politics and offers the most comprehensive range of radical newsletters, newpapers and magazines of any shop in Britain. The shop is selling Imaginary Futures, and the author will be signing copies of the new book at the gathering. The talk begins at 6:30 pm and Housemans is located at 5 Caledonian Road, Kings Cross, London, N1, just one block from the Kings Cross/St. Pancras Underground lines and train station. This event is FREE. Visit www.housemans.com for more information.

300 Welcome New Book

Lisa Devaney — Thu, 24 May 2007 10:45:32 +0000

Imaginary Futures Book Launch Press Release

The Imaginary Futures book launch at Madame JoJos in London’s SoHo drew a celebratory crowd of 300 on 16th May 2007. Richard Barbrook debuted his newest book, published by Pluto Press, to an enthusiastic audience of academics, press, technologists, students and the author’s friends and family at the nightclub venue. Barbrook presented an overview of Imaginary Futures, alongside Simon Schaffer, BBC 4 Presenter and Cambridge University Professor, with Simon debating Richard on some concepts in the book and an open Q&A session with the audience. Guests were treated to late night entertainment from Robert Owens, one of the founding Chicago House-style performers, and DJs Kieth Franklin and Ray Stanley kept the crowd dancing until 2 a.m.

*Note: A video of Richard and Simon’s presentation will appear on this site soon, as well as photos from the book launch.