Culture Lab Detroit returns with discussion, exhibition on Post-Truth

In its fifth year, Culture Lab Detroit will bring artists, architects, and theorists together for discussions of Post-Truth. Events are free to the public and will take place at the Jam Handy and Woods Cathedral.

“Post-Truth” was the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2016 word of the year, marking a time when “…objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” The events for Culture Lab Detroit will explore how the subjective and objective interact today, and how art can help us navigate a world of contested reality.

On October 5, the Jam Handy will host a discussion on Alternative Facts, exploring how we navigate America today, different versions of history, and our future. Panelists include artist and filmmaker Edgar Arceneaux , founders of architecture and design studio Leong Leong Christopher and Dominic Leong, and conceptual entrepreneur Martine Syms. The discussion will be moderated by Juanita Moore, President and CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.

On October 6, Woods Cathedral will host both a discussion and exhibition. The Lie that Tells the Truth will explore the lines between reality and art. Participants include writer and critic Hilton Als, conceptual visual artist Mel Chin, and interdisciplinary artist and writer Coco Fusco. The discussion will be moderated by Deana Haggag, President and CEO of United States Artists.

Photo by Corine Vermeulen. Courtesy of the artist and Jessica Silverman Gallery.

Also at Woods Cathedral, artist Matthew Angelo Harrison will create a site-specific installation to reflect the history of desolate spaces in and around Detroit, the need for places of solace in times of political turmoil, and the division between hand-made and machine-made. Harrison works with relics and symbols of African culture and reproduces them with his homemade low-resolution 3D printers. The exhibition will be on display October 6 and 7.

Information on all Culture Lab Detroit events can be found here.