Death Café
Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th Street, BrooklynThe Death Café is inspired by the centuries-old European salon (or café), an informal gathering to discuss philosophical, political or scientific ideas. In 2011, British entrepreneur Jon Underwood brought this concept to discussions of the most universal topic of all: death. Underwood’s intention was to provide an opportunity to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their lives.” Today, there are over 4,400 Death Cafes in 26 countries around the world.
Welcome to the Weird: Illustrated Lecture and Book Signing with Erik Davis
As the world’s weather jumps the rails, some have started referring to global warming as global weirding—and for good reason. Between the apocalyptic mutations of our times, the emergence of what philosopher Graham Harman calls weird materialism, and the growing popularity of psychedelia, esoterica, and other uncanny cultures, the weird has become a key zone of contemporary thought and experience. In this talk, Dr. Erik Davis—author of the new book High Weirdness: Drugs, Esoterica, and Visionary Experience in the Seventies—will deepen our historical, conceptual, and aesthetic sense of what it means to live in weird times.