The Department of Counter Culture hosts ‘Here-Say’.

The Department of Counter Culture, partnered with Architects for Peace, present ‘Here-Say’ at Counter Point: a speaker program and conversation forum in which mainstream consumption practices and values are challenged and alternatives considered and discussed.

Words @ bldg 50 is making a temporary shift from its usual venue and timeslot this month, to join the Department of Counter Culture in an extended program of discussions and installations as part of July’s State of Design festival. We’re also very excited to be launching our publication Intentcity: the political city, which has been some time in the making and features contributors including Dr Darko Radovic, Beatriz Maturana, Dr Kit Lazaroo, Liz Coleman, Marc Purcell, Geoff Hogg, Su Mellersh-Lucas and Mick Pearce.

Thursday 15th July – Opening night
Keynote presentation by Professor Kim Humphrey author of : “Excess: Anti- consumerism in the west”, followed by a Q & A forum with the practitioners of Future Alternatives.

Future Alternatives is a panel of speakers representing practitioners who aim to re-make and provoke existing production and consumption practices. This panel includes Grace McQuilten from Social Studio, Craft Cartel, Kate Luckins from Clothing Exchange and Kat Ashworth from Citizens of Elysium.

About Anti Consumerism in the West…
“This timely and original new book provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of what has come to be called the ‘new politics of consumption’; a politics embodied in movements such as culture jamming, simple living, slow food and fair trade.”

Other event dates…
Monday 19th July
Anthony McInneny, Coordinator of Graduate Certificate in Public Art RMIT University presents City Suburbia: a travelogue of our city that shaped and is shaped by the suburbs.

Tuesday 20th July
Shanaka Fernando, founder of the Lentil as Anything restaurants, discusses his unique business model in conversation with Rebecca Scott.

Wednesday 21st July
Architects for Peace launches its long-anticipated publication Intentcity, a collection of writings about the political city. Find out more here.

Thursday 22nd July
Soumitri Varadarajan, Associate Professor in Industrial Design Program at RMIT University, discusses participatory design and the social discourse surrounding objects and systems.