Post-Truth Cultural Lab Detroit

Post-Truth Culture Lab Detroit Announces 2017 Program Hilton Als, Edgar Arcenaux, Mel Chin, Coco Fusco, Leong Leong, and Martine Syms in conversation.  Woods Cathedral, Detroit Courtesy of JTG Detroit Project  (Detroit, MI — July 12, 2017) Now in its fifth year, Culture Lab Detroit’s panel discussion series returns in 2017 to engage internationally reputed artists, architects, and theorists on the theme of Post-Truth. The Oxford English Dictionary chose Post-Truth as its 2016 word of the year, key to a time when “...objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” Though central to contemporary politics, the negotiation between objective facts and emotion, personal belief, and individual experience has long been the terrain of artmaking. This year’s Culture Lab Detroit will explore how the subjective and objective interact today, and how art can help us navigate a world of contested reality. “We are honored to host Culture Lab Detroit for a fifth year in partnership with so many local and international artists and innovators,” says Founder Jane Schulak. “Our participants represent a diversity of creative practices. They are well-equipped to discuss the complexities of this contemporary moment and we’re thrilled to welcome them here to Detroit for this globally relevant conversation.” Culture Lab Detroit's two-night discussion series will take place October 5 and 6, 2017. On October 5, Culture Lab Detroit will host the discussion at The Jam Handy, the landmark film production house turned event space. The second dialogue will be hosted on October 6 at the Woods Cathedral, a 50,000-square-foot repurposed cathedral in the city’s west side, on Webb Avenue and Rosa Parks Boulevard. Both locations have served as keystones of their respective neighborhoods, evolving over time, passing through the hands of community organizers, musicians, and artists sparking a critical reimagining of spaces in Detroit. Each dialogue is free and open to the public. Thursday, October 5, 2017 “Alternative Facts” The Jam Handy 2900 E Grand Boulevard Detroit, MI Left: Edgar Arceneaux  |  Center: Martine Syms  |  Right: Juanita Moore Above: Christopher and Dominic Leong The upheaval of the 2016 Presidential Election and the Brexit referendum revealed a fractured society. With social discourse atomized via political antagonism and personalized news feeds, common discourse is in peril. However, the disintegration of the mainstream amplifies voices which were once marginalized. The participants in this discussion explore different versions of history, ways of existing in America today, and possibilities for the future. Over a variety of media, Edgar Arceneaux has illuminated the shadows of cultural history, including governmental disinformation campaigns during the Civil Rights era. Leong Leong has designed landmark buildings for a variety of progressive organizations and Martine Syms’ multivalent artistic practice examines representations of blackness across the culture. PARTICIPANTS Edgar Arceneaux, artist and filmmaker Christopher and Dominic Leong, founders of Leong Leong, architect and design studio Martine Syms, conceptual entrepreneur MODERATOR Juanita Moore, President and CEO, The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Friday, October 6, 2017 “The Lie that Tells the Truth” Woods Cathedral 1945 Webb Street Detroit, MI Left: Hilton Als  |  Right: Deana Haggag Left: Coco Fusco  |  Right: Mel Chin Throughout history, artists and writers have applied different alloys of authenticity and artifice to their subject matter in order to illuminate fundamental truths about the world. In a time of autofiction, reality television, fake news, and virtual reality, the lines between the real and the unreal are more volatile than ever. The participants in this discussion clarify and complicate the border between art and reality. Hilton Als has written extensively about the disguises and distortions used by people of color or different gender expressions and sexual orientations. Mel Chin creates art in unexpected places—destroyed homes, landfills, primetime television—to call into question the ideological framework of contemporary life. Through writing and performance art, Coco Fusco elucidates the Cuban-American experience, as well as the intersections of femininity and violence. PARTICIPANTS Hilton Als, writer and critic Mel Chin, conceptual visual artist Coco Fusco, interdisciplinary artist and writer MODERATOR Deana Haggag, President and CEO, United States Artists In addition to the two-night discussion series, Culture Lab Detroit will continue to present world-class public works of art and design to the Detroit community. ABOUT CULTURE LAB DETROIT Culture Lab Detroit fosters conversations and collaborations between Detroit and the international design community. Through public discussions, exhibitions, public art projects, and creative partnerships, Culture Lab Detroit explores and promotes the vital role of culture in the mindful regeneration of the city. The organization was founded by Jane Schulak founded Culture Lab Detroit in 2013. Above: Gary Simmons installation for Culture Lab Detroit 2016. Photography: John Froelich. Courtesy of Culture Lab Detroit.