A new science of human history: the dawn of everything
Science & Cocktails is proud to present an evening with archeology superstar David Wengrow, acclaimed writer of the book "The Dawn of Everything" on the history of inequality with the anthropologist David Graeber. This evening David Wengrow will take you deep into the history of humanity that no one knows about. Just before you'll have the chance of listening to Marathon Monks and Copyflex.
Was there an "original" form of human society? Why is our conventional understanding of human history wrong? Was there an Agricultural Revolution? Does living in cities make inequality inevitable? Is our present global order fixed in place by social evolution: are we stuck?
Our conventional understanding of human history is wrong. Our species did not spend 95 percent of its evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers. So what were we doing all that time?
Agriculture and cities did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination. So where does inequality really come from?
Drawing on findings from his best-selling book, The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity - co-authored with the late David Graeber - David Wengrow explains how archaeology and anthropology are providing startling new answers to these major questions, revealing a prehistoric world more varied and unexpected than we knew, and a future more open and free than we imagine.
Before the talk, Copyflex will play tunes from all over the world in the Foyer while Marathon Monks plays funky two-bass grooves, syncopated in-the-pocket drums, space-age laserbeam synths, little chasms of silence, and the sound of six hands clapping in the Auditorium.
Event held in English.
This event has the generous support of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Talk by
David Wengrow
David Wengrow is a professor of comparative archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, and has been a visiting professor at New York University. He is the author of several books, including What Makes Civilization?. Wengrow conducts archaeological fieldwork in various parts of Africa and the Middle East. a recipient of the Antiquity Prize and has delivered the Rostovtzeff Lectures (New York University), the Jack Goody Lectures (Max Planck Institute) and the Biennial Henry Myers Lecture (Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain).
Music by
Marathon Monks
This trio, consisting of a bassist, a bass playing keyboardist and a drummer, is funky, cool, hip beyond believe, playful, dark, sexy and not least innovative! Big words, yes, but that's what it takes to describe your new favorite band. Marathon Monks is a further development of Fredrik Damsgaard's project "Höfner Funk". The idea of two bassists and a drummer has been continued here with the addition of various synthesizers.
Fredrik has worked extensively in rhythmic music and has thus been able to be heard together with e.g. Steen Rasmussen Quinteto, Stefan Pasborgs Stax Tribute, Ginne Marker and Søs Fenger. Minh and Phong have together had their own projects, IGNUG (which won Karriere Kanonen 2010) and ThrKngs, which in both cases have played concerts on Roskilde Festival and SPOT, among others. In addition to their own projects, they have also worked with names such as Kele (Bloc Party) and Tony Allen. Together they have created the ElectroRetroFutureFunk band Marathon Monks as a bid for what the future holds: funky!
Marathon Monks are composed of Fredrik Damsgaard (Höfner bass), Phong Lê (Höfner bass / keys) and Minh Lê (drums).
Live act by
Copyflex
Copyflex was born in the fjords of Norway on April 1st. 1977, relocating to Copenhagen in 1997. Here he first worked as a stockbroker for a boiler room turned legit and briefly for a local financial scandals socialite, all while slowly getting a foothold in the city's music scene.
Copyflex is also the founder of tropical bass pioneer band Copia Doble Systema and a part of space bass outfit Alo Wala. Copyflex also works with the french actionist artist COLONEL / Thierry Geoffroy as an producer, representative and musician.
Copyflex’ gig record is impressive. He’s played places like reggae bars and boat clubs in Hanoi, Filipino sports arenas, pirate parties in defunkt cinemas, ghetto parties and clubs in Cairo, on the Ipanema beach and in favelas in Rio de Janeiro, at a mall club in Caracas, Copenhagen Distortion’s frenzied street parties, illegal bars in London, Roskilde Festival (also at the camping raves), in Rome’s dirty underground, Berlin's mad squats and posh venues, south american radio shows, college fiestas, Venice Biennial, Miami Art Basel, Istanbul Biennale, on more beaches, plenty of boats and countless basements.