Featured Image

Eidolon Club vol. 5 – Narcissus in Bloom – Book launch and artist talk with Mattie Colquhoun

November 13, 2024, 18:00, Művház, Budapest

Mattie Colquhoun is a writer, blogger and photographer based in the UK. They are recognized for their contributions to the work of Mark Fisher, most notably, in their debut book, Egress which came out in 2020 and explored themes of community and grief following their late lecturer’s passing. They have transcribed and edited Fisher's Postcapitalist Desire lectures and have contributed numerous essays to reissues and translations of his works. 

Mattie Colquhoun’s latest book Narcissus in Bloom: An Alternative History of the Selfie was published in August 2023 by Repeater Books and presents an alternative interpretation of the selfie, positioning it as a reflection of broader political discontent and a desire for self-transformation, rather than solely a postmodern pathology.

By returning to the original myth of Narcissus, and the flower from which he takes his name, this book presents an alternative reading of narcissism and the selfie, arguing against a moralising subgenre of cultural criticism that suggests our self-obsession will be our downfall.

We invited the author to Budapest to organise a book launch event and a public lecture on the art historical and philosophical context of the selfie and its related phenomena. The artist talk will also cover aspects of everyday imaging and capitalism, and how online visual culture affects our mental health, personal life, and common future.

Mattie Colquhoun

The event will be held in English, attendance is free of charge.
The book, Narcissus in Bloom will be available for purchase (6850 HUF) at ISBN+ during and after the event.

Narcissus in Bloom: An Alternative History of the Selfie
by: Matt Colquhoun
Number of pages: 282
Published by Repeater Books in August 2023


Read Eidolon Journal’s interview with the author here.

Cover photograph: Matt Colquhoun, Daffodils, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2022


The event is made possible with the support of the British Council Hungary and the National Cultural Fund of Hungary.

Get in touch!

Copyright © 2023 eidolon centre.
All rights reserved.

Newsletter

Back to top Arrow
View