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The Octopus and the Machine
October 2020
A Daily Telegraph article published in October 2008 describes the exploits of an octopus named Otto, who, acquiring a taste for chaos after learning how to short circuit the light above his tank by squirting jets of water at it, embarked on a rampage of escalating mischief. In addition to electrical tampering, by the end of the spree Otto’s misdemeanours included damaging his tank by throwing stones against the glass, juggling hermit crabs, rearranging the tank “much to the distress of his fellow occupants,” and squandering the resources of the aquarium staff, who took some time to get to the bottom of the matter.
Published in Epoché Magazine.
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Against Metamodernism
Febuary 2021
A critique of metamodernism, focusing on its appeal to the oscillation between modernism and postmodernism. The piece questions the application of the oscillatory motif as a critical and strategic device in four domains: epistemology, political action, cultural criticism, and artistic strategy.