TEOK XIII: Common Wealth

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A screenshot of Abba’s video “Money, money, money”. Courtesy YouTube

For its thirteenth edition, TEOK collaborated with Dutch design collective Fictional Collective in the initiative Thisiswork.org, curating an event around the topics of Debt, Currency, Value and Trust. Our thirteenth session was held at Depot Basel. Titled Common Wealth, the event explored financial systems both implemented and emerging, analyzing alternative currency and value systems. At the core of the evening was the questioning of of trust: can it be undermined, exploited and used for nefarious ends? A reflection of the many ways in which spam has evolved to become more and more sophisticated allowed us to critically enquire which are the limits of trust in the digital world. The event is complemented by the reflections collected in the “This is work” publication, Chapter #4 Common wealth. It was a pleasure to collaborate with the young designers of Fictional Collective, and as always a pleasure to return to Depot Basel for a TEOK.

TEOK X: Display

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A celebration of TEOK’s first anniversary at Depot Basel. Photo Matylda Krzykowski

Basel-based contemporary design space Depot Basel invited TEOK to curate an evening of presentations around its current exploration of “Display”. The event coincided with the first anniversary of this informal lecture series curated by myself, Juan Palencia and Marta Colón, and it was also the first time TEOK opened its doors to a general audience and to a larger number of participants. The evening was structured around the topic of Display, and we had presentations on Spanish roundabout art, nature and its representations in art, and the history of display in Natural History Museums. It was a pleasure to be invited by Depot Basel and to reflect about Display with our guests.

TEOK Basel


Stefano Orani presents on the cosmos at TEOK #2

The Edge of Knowledge (TEOK) is an informal lecture series in Basel, where uncommon, unexpected topics are presented in someone’s living room. Short presentations are interspersed with video breaks and drinks, with topics ranging from food to the cosmos, internet memes and personal obsessions. The series was conceived in early 2014 and is curated by Juan Palencia, Marta Colon and myself, seeking to offer an alternative look at the cultural outputs of the contemporary – and a window into the fantastic, rich ensemble of people that live and work in Basel. We’re excited to organize and promote this event series – and if you are around Basel, you should join us for one of our weekly sessions! For more information, follow the TEOK Tumblr, Facebook, or Twitter.