Monsters of the Machine and Children of Prometheus, Reading Materials

Marc Garrett

During the last 8 months or so, I have been working on a new book with co-editor Yiannis Colakides. It’s called Frankenstein Reanimated: Conversations with Artists in Dystopian Times.

However, before compiling the materials for this book I had already been in deep research, discovering numerous: emotional, historical, social, psychological, technological, feminist, and political contexts, which influenced Mary Shelley’s ideas. Reading these materials has been a joy and immensely valuable, offering much knowledge and insight. Shelley’s classic, Gothic horror and science fiction novel, has inspired millions since it was written over 200 years ago in 1816, and its first anonymously published release, in London in 1818.

Out of this research arrived the foundations for three critically acclaimed exhibitions: Monsters of the Machine: Frankenstein in the 21st Century, at LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial, Gijón, Spain, 2016; Children of Prometheus, at Furtherfield Gallery, London, UK, 2017; and, Children of Prometheus, at the NeMe Arts Centre, Limassol, Cyprus, 2019. These exhibitions revisited Mary Shelley’s ideas on Frankenstein and what they look like through today’s artists’ eyes, in the 21st Century.

And, even though the work in these exhibitions and in the upcoming book, express concerns in respect of contemporary issues around scientific imagining and technologies, that have unintended and dramatic consequences for the world.

I just wanted to share these books with you, because even though many of them were written years ago, they still matter and we still have a hell of a lot to learn from them – in fact, more than ever now.

Published by Marc Garrett

Marc Garrett is co-director and co-founder, with artist Ruth Catlow of the arts collective Furtherfield, beginning on the Internet in 96. Furtherfield has two physical venues, a gallery and a Commons lab, both situated in the park, in Finsbury Park, London. Has curated over 50 contemporary Media Arts exhibitions, projects nationally and internationally. Main editor of the Furtherfield web site. Written for various books and articles about art, technology and social change. Two key Furtherfield publications include co-editing of 'Artists Re:Thinking Games' with Ruth Catlow and Corrado Morgana 2010, and recently on 'Artists Re:thinking the Blockchain' with Ruth Catlow, Nathan Jones and Sam Skinner 2017. Currently in the write up of last year of Phd at the University of London, Birkbeck College. Emerging in the late 80′s from the streets exploring creativity via agit-art tactics. Using unofficial, experimental platforms such as the streets, pirate radio such as the locally popular ‘Savage Yet Tender’ alternative broadcasting 1980′s group, net broadcasts, BBS systems, performance, intervention, events, pamphlets, warehouses and gallery spaces. In the early nineties, was co-sysop (systems operator) with Heath Bunting on Cybercafe BBS with Irational.org. Furtherfield’s mission is to co-create extraordinary art that connects with contemporary audiences providing innovative, engaging and inclusive digital and physical spaces for appreciating and participating in practices in art, technology and social change. As well as finding alternative ways around already dominating hegemonies, thus claiming for ourselves and our peer networks a culturally aware and critical dialogue beyond traditional hierarchical behaviours. Influenced by situationist theory, fluxus, free and open source culture, and processes of self-education and peer learning, in an art, activist and community context.