The Affluenza project aims to raise awareness of the issues at hand but also propose some constructive solutions, which will be the main focus of the talks and events.
19 March 2009, 6.30pm–10pm
The Militia Canteen will be performing 'Karlz Electric Heal Grind
Join us at
187-211 St John St,
Ckerkenwell, EC1V 4LS
click here for a map
Tea with Oliver
Thurs 19 March, 6–7pm
Psychologist and author Oliver James is inviting participants to an informal ‘Tea with Oliver’, where he will introduce the subject of ‘affluenza’ and suggest ways forward. Oliver will be joined in conversation by Sam Thompson, from the think tank New Economics Foundation. Tea and biscuits will be provided.
Tickets £8. All profits go to the Samaritans.
Book
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Swap Party
Sun 22 March, 3–8pm
Affluenza swap party organised by swap veteran Claire Zakiewicz. Bring your favourite stuff that you’ve got tired of and let’s start swapping.
To participate RSVP to clairezakiewicz@gmail.com
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We all make the Economy, Stupid!
Mon 23 March, 6.30–8pm
City Mine(d) wonders whether the standards to measure the economy - growth, productivity, unemployment, consumer price, home sales - really give a right image of the wide variety of activities within the community.
What City Mine(d) does believe, is that micro-initiatives contribute to well-being and wealth. Micro-initiatives are the actions we take, products we make, services we provide and structures we set up because we think they are right, rather than because they could earn us money.
City Mine(d) will challenge the audience to look at the economy from a grassroots level, and with them will try to identify the smallest building block of our economy.
Tickets £8. All profits go to the Samaritans.
Book
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Happy Designs for the Future
Tues 24 March, 6.30–8pm
Designers from different fields will talk about how they incorporate emotional well-being into their work, followed by a discussion about the future of design in the context of Affluenza.
Luke Nicholson, Founding Director of More Associates will discuss his work and the launch of his new project ‘Kept - things don’t have to be rubbish.’ Kept is a movement celebrating the stuff that can be kept in the world, and aims at helping the people who still design and sell to embrace the change.
Architect Alex Shirley-Smith will talk about treehousing as one pertinent solution to a happier, healthier and more sustainable lifestyle option for our global community. It is the choices we make within two major spheres, which will determine the state we leave the world for the coming generations: consumption and conservation.
Graphic Designer Alex Ostrowski will tell the story of developing ‘The Happiest Book in the World’. Alex read about research conducted by The University of Leicester, which concluded that Denmark is the happiest country in the world - this was good enough for him. In March 2008 he made the decision to visit happiness, and embarked upon a pilgrimage to find it.
Tickets £8. All profits go to the Samaritans.
Book
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How to de-brand your Life
Weds 25 March, 6.30–8pm
Neil Boorman, journalist and author of Bonfire of the Brands, will give some practical advice on how we can live happy and fulfilled lives without our treasured branded possessions. Neil famously burnt all his branded items a year and a half ago and has been living brand-free ever since. A brand, Boorman argues, identifies you as someone else’s property - the mark of a tamed and exploited animal. Brands promise freedom but they deliver the opposite: the worst kind of slavish conformity. The real the mark of an individual is to refuse to be branded. Boorman explains how.
Tickets £8. All profits go to the Samaritans.
Book
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Closing Party
Fri 27 March,7-10 pm
Closing acoustic fundraising gig with Alabama 3, Jono Mcleary and others.
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Teenage Seminars
Teenage Seminars In collaboration with the Samaritans, the Affluenza Exhibition team are running ten daytime seminars for 15-19 year olds. During these sessions groups of teenagers will engage in a specifically designed programme that will reveal the making, meaning and relevance of the exhibition art work and discuss how the topics relate to them. They will also be taught active listening skills to implement into their own lives
