Contemporary curators are loving the alien, the sacred and the cultic. But far from challenging contemporary social mores, this Other-worship is just an orthodox postmodern denigration of human agency, argues J.J. Charlesworth

(reposting from the new Gasworks Pipeline commentary & materials site - very contemporary counter-Green polemic from 1970)

The French Group, which has been invited to this conference, has decided not to bring a positive contribution.

The group believes that too many matters, and essential ones, have not been voiced here as regards the social and political status of Design, as regards the ideological functions and the mythology of environment.

“ “ [sic] Goldie on Whitehouse

Electronic noise experimentalists Whitehouse (William Bennett and Philip Best) have given and received torrents of aesthetic abuse in their 20-year career, their ‘aural sadism’ and lyrical violence triggering accusations of misogyny, Nazism and banality from some and fanatic devotion from others.

Forget the year 2000, the Mbug is already upon us. If you thought Michael J. Fox was just a figment of the silver screen you'd better think again – this time we really are going back to the future. Forget what all those postmodernists told you about the arbitrariness of the sign, this time the nought means business. Confused? Why not let Mark Fisher upgrade your theory chip for the Y2K. When was that again…?

After the heady days of the dot com boom and the online corporate critique that followed in its wake, net artists’ and activists’ preoccupations are shifting towards the state. Raimundas Malasauskas reports on one New York example

Q is an intricate historical novel by four Bolognan authors deploying the name of the inglorious footballer Luther Blissett. Stewart Home, a champion of 'multiple identities' who has also published under this name, detects in Q's cultural bricolage an ascending dialectical movement between rebellious practice and theory.

Brian Dillon reviews Hatred of Capitalism

Stewart Home meets artist Annabel Frearson, postmodern ingenue, chatroom conceptualist and creator of BaudriR

What thing could be more fundamental in anyone’s universe than the existence of the universe itself?

This month we’ve put freelance scientist, environmental activist and free-range philosopher Mike Holderness on the spot. Unfazed by our request for his ‘PIN CODE’ to the universe, he’s given us the master key – the ontology of the universe itself

As music journalists have often remarked Nick Currie aka Momus is “the most underrated man in pop”. With a career that spans Weil-style cabaret, top 10 J-pop hits, his polymathematical ‘thoughts for the day’, to some of the wittiest and wordiest songwriting there is, he’s probably too slippery to be spun.