Zamyn's programmes are biennial cultural forums, which bring together visionary figures from economics and business with those from visual art, literature, psychoanalysis and cultural studies to analyse key subjects of the 'global' era, such as capital, citizenship, identity and innovation.
Zamyn's unique approach is based on the recognition that culture is not a passive but an active agency: artistic and literary works are not without effects, and they can promote real reflection and change. Starting with culture means that questions about economic, political and social processes can be framed in new ways, changing the parameters of traditional modes of enquiry. Art and literature are less end-products of culture than agents in the shaping and creation of culture, questioning received representations and inviting us to rethink prejudices and beliefs. Psychoanalysis shares these objectives, not only opening up new perspectives but revealing the complex unconscious dynamics underlying the realities and belief-systems that we take for granted. The dialogue of artists, writers and analysts presents a challenging and stimulating framework for Zamyn's programmes, a novel starting point which inverts the usual order in which culture is conceived.
2013 Cultural Forum One | Leave to Remain: Politics of Migration (forthcoming)