In this talk, media and cultural studies scholar Roberto Simanowski will discuss the symbolic value of “1984” and its links to the ongoing turn from verbal to visual communication. He argues forcefully that the television screen is the sibling of the surveillance camera, demonstrating why the dystopian future we fear will look more like “Brave New World” and less like “1984.” Room 305, Pembroke Hall, 172 Meeting Street.

Can art today bring about the catalytic social change that it has in the past? Gathering in various threads — art history, technical innovation, race, photography, the story of America and a deeply personal narrative — cultural academic and author Sarah Lewis celebrates individual artists and makes a case for art as a lever to social justice and cultural transformation. Room 305, Pembroke Hall, 172 Meeting Street.