Beyond Repair

Extending her previous work on close attention in a distracted world, Odell will discuss recent experiences with clothes mending and native plant restoration in order to ask larger questions about repair: not only about the thin line between repairing and making, but about the relationship between ourselves and the things we repair. The practice of repair — so simple, yet increasingly uncommon — offers a promising alternative to a consumerist, alienated stance toward the world. For this reason, repair can end up being as important for us as it is for the thing being repaired. And because it starts from an assumption of brokenness, repair can also be a fortification against declinist thinking, the feeling that the future is a foregone conclusion. Odell will round out the discussion by examining the ways that digital culture can either impede or support the cultivation of the repair relationship. 

Followed by a conversation with Bernhard Pörksen

After the discussion, there will be a book signing session with Jenny Odell for her book, "Saving Time," at the Dussmann Book Table from 1:50 PM to 2:15 PM.