AN INTELLECTUAL SALON FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
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Upcoming Talks…
June 18th: Fremont
We are delighted to welcome award-winning Iranian writer/ director Babak Jalali to our stage for a special screening of his film Fremont, followed by a Q+A.
The film follows Afghan migrant Donya as she tries to rebuild her life in San Francisco having fled the Taliban. Finding work in a Chinese fortune-cookie factory, a sudden revelation followed by a gently subversive act triggers a chain of unexpected events as Donya quite literally takes fortune into her own hands.
Stunningly filmed in black and white, Fremont delivers a tale full of quiet strength, humour and intimacy as Donya yearns for stable ground, love, and fulfilment. Exquisite and often comedically deadpan performances by Anaita Wali Zadeh and Jeremy Allen White make this Geist’s favourite movie of late.
With a back-story almost as remarkable as the film itself, we’ll be hearing from the director about the production of Fremont, after the screening.
Doors open: 6pm
Screening begins: 7pm, followed by Q+A
Guests can purchase drinks and snacks.
Venue: Ladbroke Hall
October 7th: The Iconic Life of Mr. Chow
Geist is proud to welcome the iconic Michael Chow to our stage. Descended from renowned artistic roots in China, he managed to escape during Mao’s rise and single-handedly built a legendary restaurant empire; transforming the way we consume food by merging East and West and turning his dinner spots into dazzling theatres of cultural energy.
Please join us for a special screening of the documentary A.K.A Mr Chow which will also allow for an opportunity to explore his extraordinary career as a visual artist, synthesising all aspects of his remarkable background and creative life. The film will be followed by a talk which will also include the movie’s director Nick Hooker.
Venue: Ladbroke Hall
Tickets released shortly.
PREVIOUS TALKS…
A New History of Being Human
with Melanie Challenger
25.04.24
Venue: Ladbroke Hall, 79 Barlby Rd, London W10 6AZ
Humans have a long philosophical history of divorcing our minds from our bodies and, by extension, from the rest of the animal kingdom.
But how distinct are we really? And what might we be sacrificing in setting ourselves apart? Why are people so keen to transcend their bodies to merge with technology? What physical and emotional pleasures might be lost in the process? And if the twin revolutions of bioengineering and biotechnology continue unchecked, will we miss out on the loveliness of being human?
As we stand on the brink of profound scientific advances – which some argue have the potential to lift us into a new phase of happiness and wellbeing, and others maintain will cause the loss of something vital at the core of our humanity – we can’t think of a better time to debate how best to navigate these uncharted waters.
Come and hear bioethicist, environmental historian and natural philosopher Melanie Challenger share her deeply researched and thought-provoking views, in a talk that is of relevance to us all.
Monsters and their Meanings
with Dr. Natalie Lawrence
19.03.24
Venue: Ladbroke Hall, 79 Barlby Rd, London W10 6AZ
What good are monsters? According to author Natalie Lawrence, they can teach us valuable lessons about history, and even our own psyches. If we’re willing to face them head on, that is.
From ten-thousand-year-old cave paintings to dragons, Medusa, the Minotaur, Frankenstein, and more recently the looming spectre of uncontrollable A.I, monsters have been our constant companions whether we like it or not. So what are these creatures trying to communicate? And how have modern monsters evolved in line with changing fears and beliefs?
Beginning in the ancient world and finishing with future apocalypse fantasies, Natalie will delve deep into the history of some of our culture’s most potent monsters, to demonstrate their fascinating and sometimes unexpected meanings.
With reference to Greek myth, pagan folklore, Freudian psychoanalytic theory, and contemporary cinema, she will uncover what these creatures reveal about ourselves and the society’s in which they lurk.
The History of Love
with Dr. Peter Jones
07.02.24
Venue: Ladbroke Hall, 79 Barlby Rd, London W10 6AZ
Ancient philosophers called it the “force that moves the universe,” and modern chemists call it C₄₃H₆₆N₁₂O₁₂S₂.
How have our experiences of love been shaped by technology, by revolutions, and by discovery? Do we love in different ways to people who lived a thousand years ago?
Join Geist for a gorgeous romp through history with acclaimed academic Peter Jones as he takes us through five very different views of love and heartache, in conversation with our co-founder Sara Sjölund.
Using the ideas of Plato, Dante, and Kant as a starting point, and ending with an examination of love in the age of pop culture and AI via artworks by Edvard Munch and Frida Kahlo, Peter will chart the intoxicating impulses, the mystic fantasies, and the commercial forces that have shaped the ideas of love we live with today.
The Seven Deadly Sins
with Dr. Peter Jones
24.10.23
Venue: House of St. Barnabas 1 Greek St, London W1D 4NQ
Before the self-help industry, before mindfulness and before CBT, there was another system of therapy: The Seven Deadly Sins. Can a thousand-year-old system of self-help tell us something new about today’s most urgent social problems, from chronic depression and pornography addiction to social media shaming?
In this Geist talk, Dr. Peter Jones explores Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust, which for over a thousand years were used to measure personality, identify inner demons, and give shape to human heartache.
Through a range of manuscripts and artworks, as well as reflecting on his own experience of teaching history and fighting sloth at a university in Siberia, Peter will reveal a forgotten map of the human mind.
Living Fearlessly
with Mo Gawdat and Gelong Thubten
20.10.23
Venue: St-Giles-in-the-Fields, St Giles High St, London WC2H 8LG
Geist is proud to welcome the superstar technologist, author and podcast host Mo Gawdat, and the leading Tibetan Buddhist meditation teacher and bestselling writer Gelong Thubten to our stage.
Join us as they explore a topic close to their hearts: how to live fearlessly and create enduring contentment even in the most challenging of circumstances. They will also share their views on AI, discussing whether this technology can be employed to create happiness not just for ourselves, but to the benefit of the planet itself.
Paradise Now: The Extraordinary Life of Karl Lagerfeld
with William Middleton
22.05.23
Venue: The House of KOKO
Take II due to popular demand.
Paradise Now: The Extraordinary Life of Karl Lagerfeld
with William Middleton
25.04.23
Venue: 5 Hertford Street
Having been granted unprecedented access to the archives of Fendi, Chloe and Chanel, author and journalist William Middleton created the first major biography about one of the most enduring cultural icons of the 20th century.
In addition to exploring Karl’s legacy in fashion, this Geist event will go further and also look at the historical, aesthetic, and political influences that shaped Lagerfeld’s life and work.
Ecology and Interconnectivity
with Merlin Sheldrake
02.03.23
Venue: The Painting Rooms
What are fungal networks and what do they do all day?
Can we say they are ‘intelligent’ even though they don’t have a brain or a central nervous system?
And what might we learn from this entangled life form underfoot? Could it in fact hold the answer to some of the most fundamental problems our society faces?
Join Geist as we hear from mycologist and bestselling author Merlin Sheldrake.
The Science of the Mind
with Gelong Thubten and Ash Rampura
03.11.22
Venue: The Painting Rooms
Why is there such a love affair between Buddhism and Neuroscience?
To what extent can science and religion agree on the nature of consciousness?
Does meditation make us more resilient? And where in the brain is that elusive God Spot?
Join Geist as we hear from Tibetan Buddhist monk and author of “A Monk’s Guide to Happiness” Gelong Thubten, and Yale Neurologist Ash Rampura, on the common ground between Buddhist practice and neurology, as well as some points of departure.