"Why So Estrange? by Momus [Nick Currie]
22 Setembro 2017 19h00
Momus lecture/performance is part of exhibition Que farei eu com esta espada? curated by António Caramelo.
With reference to his work in pop music and fiction, and the work of the artists he most admires, Momustalks about the use of estrangement as an artistic strategy. The Russian formalists called it “ostranenie”, Brecht called it the “Verfremdungseffekt”, which means literally to “make alien”. What formal techniques do we use to estrange? And why would we make readers and listeners alien? Why turn them into aliens or refugees, when they could feel at home in a work of art? Why, in Bowie’s words, “turn and face the strange”?
Momus is a Scot based in Osaka, Japan. Since the 1980s he’s released records of electronic folk music on various independent labels. He’s also the author of six novels and a performance artist known for performative lectures and unreliable tours.
With reference to his work in pop music and fiction, and the work of the artists he most admires, Momustalks about the use of estrangement as an artistic strategy. The Russian formalists called it “ostranenie”, Brecht called it the “Verfremdungseffekt”, which means literally to “make alien”. What formal techniques do we use to estrange? And why would we make readers and listeners alien? Why turn them into aliens or refugees, when they could feel at home in a work of art? Why, in Bowie’s words, “turn and face the strange”?
Momus is a Scot based in Osaka, Japan. Since the 1980s he’s released records of electronic folk music on various independent labels. He’s also the author of six novels and a performance artist known for performative lectures and unreliable tours.