For the last talk in a series of short, accessible introductions to different strands of critical theory, I wanted to break the format and create an environment in which the students could collaboratively find their own meaning and their own understanding of the topics. The result was a kind of reverse lecture, scaffolded through a Miro board, anchored by memes, and centred on the gloriously unhinged fan project Shrek Retold.

So here’s the story. I was lucky enough to be invited to a private showing of Hinterlands, a mixed reality dance work created by Rebecca Evans and collaborators as Pell Ensemble. Hosted at Studio Wayne McGregor, the event gave me an intimate opportunity to experience an ambitious performance that explores embodiment, technology, and speculation about the more-than-human world.. All things that are right up my street!

This essay began with a workshop at Norwich University of the Arts inspired by The Creative Gene, a collection of essays by Hideo Kojima that explores the media that informed his creative practice. In the same spirit, I approached Das Oath’s self-titled album of 2004. What was it about this record? Its sound, its energy, it’s provocative awkwardness, that has stayed with me? Why did it matter so much then, and why does it matter still?