Während drei Tagen im November steht die Buchwelt in Basel Kopf. Am internationalen Literaturfestival BuchBasel finden jährlich über 70 Veranstaltungen mit über 100 regionalen, nationalen und internationalen Gästen und rund 6'000 Besucher*innen ...
The B-SideRoots/Routes:Über Mark Fisher
DE
Das diesjährige Thema der von Johny Pitts kuratierten B-Side-Gesprächsreihe lautet Roots/Routes. Pitts geht der Frage nach, wie sich Unabhängigkeit in einer Welt behaupten und bewahren lässt, die von technologischer Hegemonie und der Monopolisierung des Mainstreams geprägt ist. Im Anschluss an die Schweizer Erstaufführung des Experimentalfilms We Are Making a Film About Mark Fisher, der die anhaltende Aktualität von Fishers Überlegungen zu Kapitalismus, Kultur und Zukunft erkundet, spricht Pitts mit dem Filmemacher Simon Poulter und dem Autor Tariq Goddard, einem langjährigen Weggefährten Fishers und Mitbegründer des legendären unabhängigen Verlags Repeater Books. Ein Gespräch über Fishers Vermächtnis, die Entstehung des Films und zentrale Fragen der B-Side: Wie lassen sich alternative Wege des Publizierens und Verbreitens finden? Was sind die Chancen und Fallstricke eines unabhängigen Verlags? Und welche Bedeutung hat kreative Freiheit?
EN
The theme of this year’s B-Side discussion series, curated by Johny Pitts, is Roots/Routes. Pitts explores the question of how independence can be maintained and preserved in a world characterised by technological hegemony and the monopolisation of the mainstream. Following the Swiss premiere of the experimental film We Are Making a Film About Mark Fisher, which explores the enduring relevance of Fisher’s reflections on capitalism, culture and the future, Pitts will speak with filmmaker Simon Poulter and author Tariq Goddard, a long-standing colleague of Fisher’s and co-founder of the legendary independent publishing house Repeater Books. A discussion about Fisher’s legacy, the making of the film and key questions raised by B-Side: How can alternative ways of publishing and distributing be found? What are the opportunities and pitfalls of an independent publishing house? And what is the significance of creative freedom?
zur Website der Veranstalter:in
Samstag, 14. November 2026
Saal
20:00 Uhr - 21:00 Uhr
Tickets CHF 20/15
Simon Poulter is a practising artist, working across media. He spends his time painting butterflies and the disasters of war, using traditional watercolour techniques. Together with Sophie Mellor, he runs the loose arts collective Close and Remote. Close and Remote make experimental films, including the widely acclaimed international film We Are Making A Film About Mark Fisher. Simon is currently writing a biography of the late cultural theorist Mark Fisher. His work arises from punk, DIY and open sources methodologies. In his spare time he plays thrash guitar and enjoys looking for the rare Purple Emperor butterfly in North Wiltshire, UK.
Stand: Oktober 2026
Tariq Goddard was born in London in 1975 and is a British novelist and publisher. He has written seven novels, the first of which Homage to a Firing Squad, was short-listed for the Whitbread Book Award for First Novel. He founded, and was the publisher of the independent publishing companies Zero Books and Repeater Books. His forthcoming memoir, Publishing, will be coming out on Duke University Press in 2027.
Stand: Oktober 2026
The British author and photographer Johny Pitts received multiple awards for his acclaimed essay Afropean (2019). In it, he explores Black Europe with words and photographs through a travelogue format, highlighting the significance of ”Afropean“ culture. Out of his journey emerged a wider theoretical framework he calls the B-Side, which examines creative expressions that circumnavigate the mainstream, often emerging within subcultures. In a world of algorithms and tech monopolies, his goal is to bring art and artists from the margins to the forefront, making visible those who are often overlooked – much like the B-side of hit singles on vinyl records. As part of BuchBasel, Johny Pitts will curate and moderate a series of discussions centred around this B-Side theme.
Stand: Oktober 2026
