Theory Club - Mutant Ecologies

In collaboration with and The Other MA (), (TOW) is hosting a series of reading groups aimed at artists and creatives who want to support their practice with up to date ideas about the world around us and how they influence our work.

Theory Club concludes with new Pluto publication; Mutant Ecologies by Erica Borg and Amedeo Policante.

Sunday 26 April 12 - 3pm

Tea and Coffee and vegan, vegetarian and GF snacks provided

We have dyslexia friendly colour overlays available

Whilst we have ramp access to our building we regret that we do not offer fully disabled accessible toilets due to limitations with our building and lease.

We charge a minimal fee as we have found people book spaces but don't attend. Please email if you need a free place and they are all taken.

About the book

Mutant Ecologies traces the spinning of new synthetic threads into the web of life. It is a critical cartography of the shifting landscapes of capital accumulation conjured by recent developments in genomic science, genome editing and the biotech industry.

CRISPR crops, fast-growing salmons, heat-resistant Slick™ cows, Friendly™ Mosquitoes, humanised mice, pigs growing human organs – these are but a few of the dazzling new life-forms that have recently emerged from corporate and university laboratories around the world, all promising to lubricate the circuits of capital accumulation in distinct ways. The deliberate induction of genetic mutations is increasingly central to business operations in a number of sectors, from agriculture to pharmaceuticals.

While the Nobel Committee recently proclaimed the life sciences to have entered ‘a new epoch’, the authors show how these technological innovations continue to operate within a socio-historical context defined by the iron rules of capitalist competition and exploitation. Capital no longer contents itself with simply appropriating the living bodies of plants and animals. It purposefully designs their internal metabolism, and in that way it redesigns the countless living vectors that constitute the global biosphere. It is driving a biological revolution, which will ripple through the everyday lives of people everywhere.

About the session

In this session, Dr. Ruth Jones will guide the group through an overview of the chapters of the book and welcome attendees to discuss the ideas in the text and share their insights. The day will round up with group discussion about ways the book might be used to support attendees creative practice.

Attendees will each receive a copy of the text in advance. No prior reading is necessary, but any advance reading will help make for a more in depth conversation.

Once you have booked your place you will receive an email with information about collecting your free copy of the book.

Discussion of the content of this book may cause difficult and differing opinions to arise. Please be respectful of other attendees as we navigate possibly contentious topics.

Code of Conduct

Please be aware that TOW operates a code of conduct that we require all attendees to respect. If you feel you are not able to adhere to this code of conduct we respectfully request you opt out of attending:

• Be kind and welcoming to others. Harassment and sexist, ableist and racist, transphobic or other prejudicial comments or behaviours are not welcome;
• Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences;
• Respect personal space and ask before entering it;
• Be mindful of language that may exclude or alienate. Please do not disparage others.

We may ask you to leave if you fail to adhere to this code of conduct, with any agreement you have with TOW being terminated with immediate effect.

Further Information

Dr. Ruth Jones is an artist, independent curator and director of The Old Waterworks. Her practice and research operate at the intersection of feminism and world-building to offer audiences opportunities to image the world otherwise. She works across installation, sound, drawing and sculpture and ASMR to engage audiences. Her current research, Teratoma/Terror Incognita, has provoked a series of different proposals, works and texts exploring embodied glitches and ruptures as sites for agency and possibility.

The Old Waterworks is an artist-led charity in Southend-on-Sea that provides studios, facilities, and research and development opportunities for artists as well as quality arts events and experiences for our surrounding community. TOW addresses the need for spaces for artists, a venue for cultural activities and workshops to take place, and a site for research and development.

The Other MA is an 18-month artist-run learning programme based in Southend-on-Sea supporting artists who have faced barriers accessing art education and the ‘art world’. TOMA was set up in 2016 to offer affordable, accessible and responsive art education to artists and we are the only postgraduate level art programme in Essex after all others were stopped by their host universities.

The Reading Room is a new collaborative project where people can read, learn, listen, and share ideas. Through linking up with other spaces across the country, Pluto Press and the Left Book Club have created libraries stocked with thought provoking books, where reading groups and opportunities to meet authors are being established, providing resources and activities that hope to catalyse creativity, collaboration and conversation.

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