New Yorkers: See Jesse Walker Speak at the Met Fifth Avenue Friday Night

The topic: art and conspiracy

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is currently hosting an exhibition called Everything Is Connected: Art and Conspiracy, and I'll be speaking at the Met Fifth Avenue tomorrow night as part of the program. The organizers asked me to be there because I wrote a book in 2013 called The United States of Paranoia; I'll be sharing the stage with Jack Bratich, author of 2008's Conspiracy Panics.

My talk will be a history-rich look at the intersection between conspiracy stories created as works of fiction and conspiracy stories that people actually believe in, and what happens when a story crosses over from the first category to the second. I don't know what Bratich plans to say, but I was impressed the last time I saw him speak and so I expect to enjoy his remarks tomorrow too.

The event starts at 6:30, and it's free. For more details, go here.

(On a related note: I have a cameo in this podcast on the Ong's Hat hoax/game/art project/conspiracy theory.)

Comments

[Ken Shultz]

"My talk will be a history-rich look at the intersection between conspiracy stories created as works of fiction and conspiracy stories that people actually believe in, and what happens when a story crosses over from the first category to the second."

Huge Spoiler Alert!

In American Horror Story, Season 7, which dealt with cults and politics, Valerie Solanas starts a cult in San Francisco (sort of reflection of Andy Warhol's gang), that implements her S.C.U.M Manifesto--and gets known as the Zodiac Killer. She goes insane with rage to see the popular press attribute her work to some unknown man. She can't control the popular interpretation of her conspiracy. In the fiction, she goes to confess to the police that she's the Zodiac, but they won't believe her.

[Mongo]

Sounds interesting!

(Spoilers have little effect on me as I soon forgot what I just read or was told).

[Eddy]

"The Metropolitan Museum of Art"

...or so they call themselves

"in New York City"

How do we know this so-called "City" exists?

" is currently hosting an exhibition"

Where they probe and monitor you for the benefit of the Lizard People? No thank you.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

See Jesse Walker Speak at the Met Fifth Avenue Friday Night

Jesse, but how do you get to Carnegie Hall?

[Eddy]

Who wants to know? Who put you up to it?