Grain: Mark Fisher, Microplastics, Science Fiction

It was Mark Fisher’s birthday last week, so I’ve been thinking about his work and how it still spills into pretty much everything we’re experiencing nowadays in terms of capitalism, society, and culture. Mark was the first person to ever interview me and we kept in touch until his death, and I’ve been sifting through great, thoughtful archive lectures: ‘The Slow Cancellation of the Future’ is well worth an hour of your time. via Youtube

Ali Rıza Taşkale’s great essay argues how tech oligarchs draw inspiration from science fiction, while stripping away the political/ethical ideas that’s generally always been at its heart: using science fiction imagery to legitimise a future based on private power, rather than collective wellbeing. The best thing about science fiction is that it’s always been a way to put forward ideas about a more democratic, inclusive future, not as a blueprint for billionaire-led tech expansion. via Aeon

I loved this article by Max Liboiron which explores how analysing microplastics found in animal gastrointestinal tracts allows researchers to forensically reconstruct the landscapes of remote environments. It frames environmental research as something that connects material with Indigenous knowledge and local context, rather than just being cold data. via Places Journal

Talking of imaginary futures, I’m excited to have a couple of pieces showing at the Barbican in London throughout this summer with my regular collaborator Liam Young at his show there. ‘Planet City’ is one, which we’ve taken across the world as a cross-media installation and expanded live show, and imagines a time where the entire population of the planet live in one huge and efficient megacity, leaving the rest of the globe to rewild and recover from climate change. via Barbican

Finnish multi-instrumentalist Simo Hakalisto’s work involves weaving together water, bowls, strings, sax, and anything else to create a uniquely Scandinavian kind of woodland ambient. His new album ‘Toinen Luonto’ released on the iconic leftfield label NotNotFun is beautiful and bright. via Bandcamp

I’ve been digging this new release from Merseyside-via-Moscow producer and artist Zurkas Tepla, a sort of deconstructed, stretched out electronica and sound design that never sits too comfortably for one moment. via Bandcamp