In 2000 scientists Paul J. Crutzen and Eugene F. Strommer popularized the term “Anthropocene” to define our current geological era in which humans are considered to be the main drivers behind global geological and environmental change in our planet. Since then, critiques to the anthropocentrism of the term —from Anthrobscene (Parikka 2015), Chthulucene (Haraway 2015), Eurocene (Grove 2016), Capitalocene, (Moore 2015), Misanthropocene (Clover and Spahr 2014), Aeroecene (Saraceno, 2016) to Plasticene (New York Times 2014), to name a few— have made visible the political implications of the term.
The Anthropocene Reading Group is convened by Freya Zinovieff and hosted at MCL/cMAS lab/studio at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology in SFU. Our aim is to discuss how new media intersects with the “Anthropocene” to produce disparities and possibilities. And ultimately to foster “a Betacene: a time to test, engage, and experiment with new ways of being and thinking in the world and with the world”, as Howe and Pandian propose. (Pandian and Howe 2016).
The group meets once a month and you are welcome to join in person or via Skype. Everyone is welcome and no previous reading knowledge about the Anthropocene is required. We seek to discover, understand, and test new ideas in a safe space that is welcoming to all.
IMAGE: Detail of “Gazing into the Anthropocene II” 2017, by Rebecca Hastings (oil on board, 75cm x 60cm).