Sunday, October 05, 2008

Two weeks from today I'll be in London to moderate a panel at the Frieze Art Fair.

The title is Is The Underground Over? - Considering Alternatives to 'Alternative'; the subject is the obsolescence of the concept of subculture/alternative/marginal versus the surprisingly persistent and vibrant praxis of same in the form of a diverse array of music undergrounds including free folk, noise, extreme metal, the usual Nuum suspects et al; how the web has changed things; the history and evolution of the idea of "underground" in popular culture from the 1960s onwards, and much, much more.

The panelists are Cosey Fanni Tutti (Throbbing Gristle), Penny Martin (Rootstein Hopkins Chair of Fashion Imagery at the London College of Fashion) and Claire Titley (from London-based independent live music promoter/record label Upset the Rhythm).

Location: the Auditorium at the Frieze Art Fair (South East corner of Regent's Park, near Regent's Park tube station).

Time/date: 12 PM noon Sunday 19th October.

Tickets: entrance to talks is included in daily Fair admission, but tickets for individual talks can also be bought on the day from 11-AM onwards.