Abolitionist Assemblies
#1 Post-Work Futurisms
Do we have jobs in the future? Can technology free us from work, or will it reshape our relationship to work in ways we can’t yet predict? On the 1st of May, on international labour day, Felix Meritis invites you to reflect on the place of work in our personal lives and in society at large.
With: Andrew Sage (a.k.a. Andrewism), Jill Toh, Tunde Adefioye, Hilde Latour, poetry by Smita James, anarchist sedition by De Moker and books by Het Fort van Sjakoo.
For decades, artists, political activists and academics have challenged the inevitability of work, calling for an end to “bullshit jobs” and a push for full automation. With the rapid rise of AI technology transforming our lives, the question of work is more urgent than ever. While some fear a future where technology takes our jobs, others believe in the potentiality of a world where work is obsolete. But what does a future without work look like? And who gets to dream of a post-work future?
During Post-Work Futurisms we present a visionary framework to imagine life beyond traditional labour structures. We open with a visual lecture by Trinidadian writer, artist, and YouTuber Andrew Sage (a.k.a. Andrewism). He critically interrogates our relationship to work while exploring alternative systems that prioritize care, community, and creativity. This is followed by a panel discussion where we collectively examine the liberatory potential of technology in shaping a post-work society.
Throughout the evening, enjoy art, poetry, and an exclusive pop-up bookstore featuring essential literature.
About the Abolitionist Assemblies series
Inspired by abolitionist thinkers such as Ruth Wilson Gilmore and Sophie Lewis, Abolitionist Assemblies is a series of visionary gatherings where we build radical alternatives to current exploitative systems. Departing from the premise that the “white-Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy” (hooks) continues to inform current politics, culture, and society, we use abolitionist thinking to critically interrogate the sanctity of borders, prisons, schooling, gender, the family, and more. Post-Work Futurisms is the first edition, inviting both guests and audience to radically rethink the future of work.
Speakers
Andrew Sage (Andrewism)
Andrew Sage is a passionate writer, artist, and YouTuber known as Andrewism hailing from the vibrant island nation of Trinidad & Tobago. As an ardent anarchist and firm believer in the liberation of labour and leisure, Andrew has dedicated his efforts to invigorating imaginations and encouraging people to create a better world in the shell of the old
Jill Toh
Jill Toh (she/her) is a Chinese Singaporean currently based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She is co-founder of the Racism and Technology Center, a non-profit based in the Netherlands. She is also a PhD researcher at the University of Amsterdam, and her work focuses on the intersections of law, labour, technology and power under racial capitalism.
Tunde Adefioye
Tundé Adefioye is a Nigerian-American performing art dramaturg, writer and lecturer based in Belgium. Tundé co-founded the youth platform Urban Woorden in Leuven (BG) and has co-organized international Summer Schools/camps for young people Braver Spaces Antwerp. Together with friends and colleagues of #APostWorkCollective, Tundé facilitated gatherings around play and post-work to explore what a post-work future could look like for racialized folks in Europe. He continues to reflect on this post-work potential while trying to work out what he terms wildin’ out theory; a concept borrowed from Jack Habelstam, Tavia Nyong’o and Sakiya in Palestine.
Hilde Latour
Hilde Latour is a strong believer in self-organisation and a Basic Income accelerator who likes to push the boundaries of paradigm shifts. In her TEDx “building commons on the blockchain, a new narrative for Basic Income”, she emphasizes that machines have no intrinsic motivation to accumulate wealth and can be programmed to distribute a Basic Income to all of us. Hilde is currently working on a prototype of bitcoin miners for Basic Income to be showcased at the first ever bitcoin Basic Income event, in Uganda this year.
Jennifer Muntslag (moderator)
Jennifer Muntslag, also known as JNM the Naked MC, is a versatile presenter, actress, MC and performer who has built a strong reputation within the Cultural & Creative sector. Professionally, she is known for her dynamic and energetic stage presence, where she brings events to life with her unique style of hosting and audience interaction.
“It’s more than a feeling, sound and a nice view, JNM is an experience”
Smita James (performance)
Smita James is a Surinamese-Dutch writer, poet, performance artist, actress, presenter, and voice-over artist. Active in the Dutch spoken word scene since 2002, she has performed at renowned events such as Re:definition and Poetry International. Her work explores themes of identity, metaphysics, and the Afro- and Indo-Caribbean diaspora, and has been featured in various publications. James’s interdisciplinary approach has led to collaborations with musicians, theater artists, dancers, and visual creators, blending her diverse talents into innovative performances and installations.
Het Fort van Sjakoo pop-up
Bookstore Fort van Sjakoo has been a fixture in the heart of Amsterdam since 1977. It began in a squatted live-work space, resisting a planned highway through the Nieuwmarkt neighborhood, and was officially legalized in 1988. The Fort is run by a collective of volunteers and specializes in radical leftist and socially critical literature. At this edition of the Abolitionist Assemblies, a pop-up Fort will be present with essential post-work readings.
Would you like to attend this program, but don’t have the means to pay for a ticket? Send an email to info@felixmeritis.nl, we can work something out.
