Contra Mundum I - VII

by Rupert Deese, Aaron Kunin, Elad Lassry

This inaugural volume from Oslo Editions gathers edited transcripts from a series of talks held at the Mandrake, an artist-run bar in Los Angeles, on the theme of ''contra mundum'' or ''against the world.'' Taking its cue from Evelyn Waugh's 1945 novel Brideshead Revisited, the contributors consider the collective potential of (anti)sociality and the possibility of building your own world. Subjects include the furniture of Donald Judd, private issue New Age records, the animal as a subject in Hollywood, self-banishment in Shakespeare, zombie films, pirates and piracy, and Mark E. Smith, legendary vocalist for post-punk band, the Fall. Featuring contributions from artists Rupert Deese, Elad Lassry, Anthony Pearson and Frances Stark, and critics Aaron Kunin, Matthew Taylor Raffety, and Evan Calder Williams.

216 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2011

Reviews

[afonso abreu · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, the book design - from the cover to the font - is of really good taste.

The first two chapters/conversation were dull (more the first).
The third chapter started to set another tone, a very niche theme (like the ones that succeed) but very accessible.
The fourth conversation was, for me, THE conversation. Aron Kunin really got me hooked with his misanthrope analogy with the book moto (contra mundum). Full of references, from cinema to literature to theatre, Kunin weaved an excellent discourse. It was worth reading the other chapters just to get to this one.
The next chapter wasn’t my cup of tea, but it was well delivered as the last two.
Pirates: capitalists or socialists? Chapter VI surprised me with this question, and how Matthew Taylor Raffety developed the topic. A chapter I feel like coming back later.
The last one was short and a bit dull like the first two.

Reading it was worthy due to the references and analogies; if conversations IV and VI weren’t in the book, I would probably stop reading it at chapter III.