Verdurin /vəʁdyrɛ̃/ is a project space in East London hosted by Pierre d’Alancaisez and programmed with friends.
Verdurin presents an idiosyncratic mix of events, courses, and exhibitions addressing urgent cultural, political, and philosophical questions through visual culture.
Verdurin is also a concept store and publisher, providing the essentials an aesthete will need to survive cultural doomsday: daring literature, artefacts deserving of perdurance, and artisanal provisions.
d’Alancaisez was first inspired to marshal an audience to discuss politics, art, and ideas critically in response to the failure of institutions and the breakdown in the cultural order following the pandemic.
The name Verdurin is borrowed from Proust’s literary character Mme Verdurin who in À la recherche du temps perdu hosts a literary salon. Verdurin today carries on her spirit of conviviality and mutual edification.
We are happy to receive pitches and ideas for events, performances, launches, screenings, talks relating to art, culture, politics, and philosophy.
Team
Pierre d’Alancaisez
Pierre d’Alancaisez is a curator and critic, and the founder of Verdurin.
Amir Naaman
Amir Naaman is a novelist and a personal trainer.
Nina Power
Nina Power is a philosopher and critic.
Daniel Neill
Daniel is a writer, and protégé at Verdurin.
Travis Jeppesen
Travis Jeppesen is the author of numerous books and the creator of object-oriented writing.
Emma Bielecki
Emma Bielecki is a lecturer, writer, and researcher. She splits her time between London and nineteenth-century Paris.
Lola Salem
Lola Salem is a researcher and cultural strategist.
Artists, contributors, guests
Philip Cunliffe
Philip Cunliffe is Associate Professor in International Relations at UCL, co-founder of Bungacast, and author of multiple books on international politics and security.
Simon Fanshawe
Simon Fanshawe OBE is a broadcaster, writer, and activist. He was one of the founders of the LGBT charity Stonewall.
Ewan Morrison
Ewan Morrison is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and essayist.
Alex Hochuli
Alex Hochuli is a political analyst based in São Paulo.
Ran Heilbrunn
Ran Heilbrunn is a writer and scholar whose work focuses on technology, political theory, and current affairs.
Roger Lancaster
Roger Lancaster is a professor of anthropology and cultural studies at George Mason University.
Elena Louisa Lange
Elena Lange is a philosopher, Japanologist, writer, former musician, and former assistant professor. She is the editor of Café Américain.
Isobel McCrum
Isobel McCrum is an AI systems architect.
John-Robin Bold
John-Robin Bold is an artist and composer who works within the fields of experimental electronic music, internet art, and video art.
Travis Jeppesen
Travis Jeppesen is the author of numerous books and the creator of object-oriented writing.
Hamilton Morrin
Hamilton Morrin is a neuropsychiatrist researching brain-computer interface technology and human-AI interactions.
Stephen Adubato
Stephen Adubato is a writer and host of Cracks in Postmodernity.
Sohrab Ahmari
Ahmari is the US editor of UnHerd and the author of Tyranny, Inc.
Daniel Hadas
Daniel Hadas specializes in early Christian literature, medieval Latin, and the study of manuscripts.
Mark Simpson
Mark Simpson is a writer and broadcaster credited (or blamed) for coining the term ‘metrosexual‘.
Sam Riviere
Sam Riviere is a poet, novelist, and publisher at If a Leaf Falls Press.
Jacob Koster
Jacob Koster is a researcher who explores socially engaged art and social movement practice, as well as aesthetics and the philosophy of art.
Jane Cooper
Jane Cooper researches the poetic theory of the sublime.
Liam Blackford
Liam Blackford is an Australian writer and poet.
Ofri Ilany
Dr. Ofri Ilany is a historian, journalist, and literary critic.
Nick Hostettler
Nick Hostettler is a lecturer in politics.
