Things in common / common things

Last year in May, I attended ‘Holding Things in Common’ at Birkbeck College, University of London. It was a really thought provoking conference in which postgraduates and early career researchers discussed the compelling idea of 'things in common' - based around everyday things and objects which have special or associated meaning.

Today longer versions of these papers were made available here http://dandelionjournal.org/index.php/dandelion/issue/view/12/showToc by Dandelion (Birkbeck's interdisciplinary postgraduate journal). Check it out Vol 5, Issue 2 (2015)!

My article focuses on the demonization of the everyday incandescent light bulb (not so everyday anymore I suppose!). Demonized? Yes, really. That thing that looms above your head dictating what you can and can't see ... that glowing thing with insidious, controlling, and dehumanizing presence. Plus, I also talk about The X-Files, Pynchon, planned obsolescence, self-help books, black holes, Stephen Hawking, Genesis, and nineteenth century Pall Mall prostitution. That's right folks - all for the price of one innocuous light bulb.

I can't believe it's taken me this many years to bring The X-Files into my work.