Hello, how are you?

Well, I’m feeling a bit uneasy. Fortunately, the situation in Vienna was—and still is—stable (at least for my close friends and me), but my family lives in NY, so my mind is quite busy there.

Where are you right now?

I’m in my flat, in Vienna.

Which sounds surround you?

Street-sounds, woods… and a soft tinnitus.

Have you been productive so far? What are you working on?

I’ve been reading more than I usually do, researching and making notes for the next issues of ENTKUNSTUNG and for a book on Architecture and Speculative Landscapes. I put aside everything related to creativity, such as making music, writing articles and concepts. I felt easier reading books and articles I had on hold.

What inspires you right now?

The idea of inspiration doesn’t appeal to me much, but literature, the books I read, motivate me a lot! Right now José Saramago’s novels “Blindness” and “Seeing” are being a great company.

Reading material you can recommend?

Well, I’m terrified at the idea of recommending something, especially literature.
Still, I can tell you what I’ve been reading in the last months:

– Ethics, Baruch Spinoza.
– The Autumn of the Middle Ages, Johan Huizinga.
– The Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, Fernand Braudel

If someone is interested about “Post-Pandemic Prospects”, we created a reading list, a collection of articles, predictions, visions, hopes and doubts about what will come after the pandemic. You can find on our website excellent essays from people like Paul B. Preciado, Byung Chul-Han, Bruno Latour, Naomi Klein, Jean-Luc Nancy, Timothy Morton, Judith Butler, Armen Avanessian, and many more.

To listen?

Our new curatorial project! The crossing-genre radio show and sound archive /100 – OF HUNDRED – www.ofhundred.com We have beautiful pieces by artists and musicians like LDY OSC, Melanie Maar, Monika Raič and Natalia Domínguez Rangel.

To watch?

“Abstract: The Art of Design”, on Netflix; very entertaining!

What’s your opinion on live-streams? You see any alternative ways to support the music community?

The truth is that I haven’t seen any live broadcast on electronic music, or music at all. I cannot imagine how it could be capitalised—money-wise—in favour of artists, labels and clubs. The simplest way to support artists and labels would be to buy their music and merchandise directly from their websites or through Bandcamp; making donations is also a good alternative.

What are you missing most?

This state of exception made possible other forms of closeness and interaction; it is convenient to set priorities according to the situation. In the face of death—because it’s about life and death—and isolation, space, time and freedom are now seen from another perspective. Still, I hope we can return soon to our favourite cafes, theatres, art galleries, and clubs… to the public space! The role of culture on the government’s agenda is even more troubling these days.

What are you afraid of?

I fear that the entire political, economic, and cultural system based on risk, speculation and reification will remain the same or emerge reinforced from this calamity. This scenario could increase the pace of acceleration, nihilism and apathy in which we have lived in the last three decades; against that, our habits have to change.

What will change you think?

It would be incredible to think about the vindication of the public, especially in issues such as health, education and the environment; also to think of a culture of solidarity and care, based on the democratic distribution of the sensible.

What is the gig or occasion you were most looking for, that was cancelled in this period?

As part of our EPHEMERA performance project, we were organizing a four-day electronic music and performance festival in Berlin. So we had to postpone it until next year.

Are you still able to pay your rent?

Yes, with savings.