Weird Fictions Research Group invites you to a talk by
Joanna Kaniewska
(University of Warsaw)
Cyborgs, Transhumans, and Posthumans in the Popular Music of 2010s
This event is a part of the Weird Music series organized by the Weird Fictions Research Group members and their invited guests.
Thursday, December 16, 2021
at 5:30 p.m.
You can get 2 OZN points for participating in this event.
Check how to collect OZN points online here.
Where?
This is an online event. To attend, click the button below or enter https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87529607265 into your browser, and join the meeting.
What?
Popular music is often dismissed as shallow or merely entertaining. However, it often resonates with the cultural and political anxieties of the world around it. It is no surprise, then, that many musicians create art rooted in the biggest concern of today: the future of humankind in the increasingly unstable world.
In this mini-lecture, I would like to explore the artistic practices of three female pop stars of the 2010s who draw inspiration from futuristic and weird imagery: Björk, Janelle Monáe, and Grimes. In their music, they use science fiction themes and create the figures of cyborgs, trans-humans, post-humans to express their response to the contemporary world. These concepts have also been the subjects of several academic discourses from different fields, including feminist and environmental studies. Coincidence? I think NOT! Let’s explore these connections together and see what they say about today’s visions of the future.
Who?
Joanna (Asia) Kaniewska is a subtitler by day and an independent researcher by night. She graduated from University of Warsaw with MA in Japanese Studies and American Studies and is currently working towards enrolling in the Doctoral School of Humanities. She’s been a part of Weird Fictions Research Group since its very beginnings in 2018. Her academic interests include popular music, Japanese and American popular culture, science fiction, and weird studies. Sometimes, she writes about them on her blog “dziewiętnaście czwartych” (“nineteen fourths”) or talks about them in her radio show “dancing in dystopia.”
