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Anna and Kelly Pendergrast’s latest work is More Zeros and Ones a book they edited which is published by BWB. This book brings together essays from incredibly interesting thinkers and doers who write about environmental science, law and Te Tiriti o Waitangi and recent developments in technology. I just can’t recommend this book enough. I love this blurb from BWB:
Many of today’s digital technologies inadvertently amplify the power structures and prejudices of wider society. By examining the way digital tools and platforms are designed, built, and maintained, this BWB Text aims to identify how we can do better for everyone in Aotearoa.
Anna and Kelly are founders of Antistatic a research and communications consultancy like no other I’ve come across. I got to talk to Anna and Kelly, as Antistatic, last year about their part in the Flat Earthers exhibition/book/event. Still one of the best things I’ve ever done.
I was interested in talking to Anna and Kelly about humour and laughter for several reasons. Anna and Kelly’s work is often playful and because of this I think, is able to say some pretty profound things about some of the power structures that sit in technology. Also, Anna and Kelly do a lot of work in communications - taking very complex ideas and structuring them for different purposes. I was interested in how this deep knowledge of communication gives an insight into what makes us laugh.
Ann and Kelly brought the perfect ‘thing that made them laugh’ for this kind of conversation. The Laughter Lift is a segment on the Kermode & Mayo’s Take podcast. I loved the way this opened up a conversation about jokes and the social act of telling jokes. One of the things I loved talking about was that because we often share an idea of the structure of ‘the joke’ with the people are telling jokes to, even when the joke goes wrong it is still funny because it becomes a subversion of the form.
This gives me immense hope as I am practicing my ‘bit’ for the Verb After Hours - Beyond A Joke night Thursday 3 November, 8.30pm at Meow in Wellington. To which there are still tickets available. This is a shameless self-promotion but also, the folk who are appearing in this event are amazing!!
Ep 31: Bill Nelson Talks about Two Poems
Ep 30 Aaron Lister: Fiona Pardington's A Beautiful Hesitation
Ep 29: Simon Sweetman and Pip Adam talk about Stranger Music by Leonard Cohen
Ep 28 Porirua People's Library
Ep 27 Sarah Jane Barnett: The Time of the Giants by Anne Kennedy
Ep 26 Work by Sarah Jane Barnett
Ep 25 Rebel Moon: An AK Benefit
Ep 24 R.H.I. by Tim Corballis
Ep 23 Pukeahu: An Exploratory Anthology
Ep 22 Joe Buchanan: Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
Ep 21 Lynn Jenner: Lost and Gone Away
Ep 20 Natasha Dennerstein: The Bengal Engine's Mango Afterglow by Geoff Cochrane
Ep 19 Carl Shuker: 10th Anniversary of The Method Actors
Ep 18 Overland Launch
Ep 17 Clare Needham: The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Ep 16 Helen Heath: Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Ep 15 John Summers: The Scarecrow by Ronald Hugh Morrieson
Ep 14: Dougal McNeill: Writing the 1926 General Strike by Charles Ferrall and Dougal McNeill
Ep 12 William Brandt: Under the Skin by Michel Faber
Ep 11 Tayo Aluko: Call Mr Robeson by Tayo Aluko
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