On the 22 of May, at 18.00, we are happy to invent Kasper Opstrup for a talk about Invisible ”Invisible Insurrections and Radical Imaginaries”, at Syndikalistiskt Forum.
This talk explores alternative ways of understanding the world and imagining new futures through the lens of, among others, the Sigma Project, surrealism, and the writings of William Burroughs. This type of revelatory politics is inspired by the New Left of the 1960s, but draws from speculative, dreamlike, and wild desires rather than traditional realist politics. It envisions a transformation of both consciousness and society, blending religious and political forces to create a world where inner and outer revolutions converge.
A central figure is Alexander Trocchi, a Scottish writer and former Situationist, who, in the early 1960s, left behind traditional art forms to become a ”cosmonaut of inner space.” His Sigma project incorporated ideas from both radical politics and esoteric spirituality, drawing connections between psychic and social liberation. This approach, common in the counterculture of the 1960s, combined elements of political revolution with occult practices, suggesting that the transformation of the self is crucial for social change. The occult, often regarded as a liberating force in counterculture, becomes a metaphor for breaking free from the psychic and social constraints imposed by dominant ideologies. Writers like William Burroughs advanced this philosophy through their use of techniques like the cut-up method to disrupt conventional narratives and challenge the status quo.
This synthesis of radical politics and mystical thinking proposed that social liberation could be achieved by unlocking the unconscious and engage in a collective, mythic rebellion against established norms. The talk posits that the politics of revelation, as envisioned by Trocchi and others, is less about overthrowing governments or political power and more about a personal and collective transformation. This type of revelatory politics seeks not only a social and political revolution but also a deeper transformation of human consciousness—through the fusion of myth, art, and occult knowledge—leading to a radical reimagining of the future.
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Kasper Opstrup is a writer and researcher specialising in weird entanglements of art, politics, and occulture. He is currently working on a 4-year Investigator Grant project, funded by the
Novo Nordisk Foundation and entitled ”Twisting the Fabric of Space: the Art and Politics of the Hidden” at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Time and place:
Syndikalistiskt Forum
April 24th, 18.00
Location: Syndikalistiskt Forum, Linnégatan 21. Entrance at ground level (under Hagabion’s stairs). Ring the bell on the sign (yes, the sign!). Let us know if you need the elevator; an accessible restroom is available by the entrance.