Rotterdam Arts and Sciences Lab (RASL) and Studium Witte de With present Culture as Weapon, a Keynote Lecture by Nato Thompson.

In his lecture, Nato Thompson, curator, writer, and Artistic Director at Philadelphia Contemporary, will discuss his book Culture as Weapon: The Art of Influence in Everyday Life. He will address the growing role of affect in a variety of industries – from charity to counterinsurgency models in the military to contemporary real estate. Throughout the keynote, he will explain how the landscape of strategically deployed human emotion has direct implications to the practice of artists and activism. In response to the keynote, visual artist Jeanne van Heeswijk and composer Merlijn Twaalfhoven will engage in a conversation with Nato Thompson.

This event is organized by RASL Events, Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art, in collaboration with Master Fine Art Piet Zwart Institute, as a kick off for the new academic year for the students of the committed institutions – Erasmus University Rotterdam, Codarts Rotterdam, and Willem de Kooning Academy Rotterdam – but will be accessible to other (non-)students as well. Tickets via the ticketlink.