* This presentation was originally recorded in English. Closed captioning is available in both English and French.
The system is changing around us ‒ we have now begun a period of collapse, rapid change and reorganization of society. We are living in revolutionary times. This talk will consider the concepts of “panarchy” and adaptive change cycles, abolition, and the radical reimagining that is required of us right now in order to survive this swirling storm of white supremacy, systemic transphobia, climate change, police violence, a new global pandemic and ongoing chaotic times. Drawing on systems change theory, activism in the movement for Black lives, and speculative fiction concepts, he will connect the dots and help us understand the current moment of resistance and revolution.
Syrus Marcus Ware is an Assistant Professor at the School of the Arts, McMaster University. He is a Vanier scholar, visual artist, activist, curator and educator. Syrus uses painting, installation and performance to explore social justice frameworks and black activist culture, and he’s shown widely in galleries and festivals across Canada. He is a core-team member of Black Lives Matter – Toronto, a part of the Performance Disability Art Collective, and an ABD PhD candidate at York University in the Faculty of Environmental Studies. His on-going curatorial work includes That’s So Gay (Gladstone Hotel, 2016-2019) and BlacknessYes!/Blockorama. He is the co-editor or the best-selling Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada (URP, 2020)
