In 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, a group of artists on Discord found themselves with lots of free time and a series of thorny questions about politics and art. A wave of popular activism surged but focused its efforts on small, decentralized projects eschewing larger goals. New aesthetic languages were formed and refined online yet relatively ignored by the legacy art world. Esoteric right wing body builders made unlikely bedfellows with cat-ear-wearing trans women. We formed the reading group to dig into these questions and published our outputs to the blog. Presently, the project has blossomed into an arts, research, and educational institution, which has published over 200 essays and artworks, hosted exhibitions and screenings, given talks at major museums, and launched an educational program.

This spring workshop consists of excerpts from key texts explored in the original DNR reading group. Course materials are drawn from a mix of early Do Not Research syllabi and supplementary material, generally within the “l/acc” (left accelerationist) school. The course will also dive into cybernetic and internet culture, from historic academic groups like the the CCRU through the recent history of platform-based cultures on Tumblr and 4chan, exploring the ways in which online subculture influences the world today. Structured like a bootcamp, the course will be a short and sweet dive into this world of radical thought.

Anyone who wants to enrich or push their understanding of contemporary culture, politics, and art will benefit from this course. It will be especially beneficial to those interested in the broader DNR project who want to “catch up” and get more involved.

This workshop will take place over four Sunday sessions in August, 8/9, 8/16, 8/23, and 8/30 1-3:00pm EST Each week, participants will be assigned 1-2 hours of reading or content consumption and be expected to participate in group discussions about the work at the following session. A bachelors degree or background in theoretical texts is strongly recommended.

NOTE: Initial contact will be made via the email address attached to your Metalabel account. Please be sure to check that email for onboarding instructions.

Participants must have or create a discord account to participate.

Theresa Tomi Faison is an artist and filmmaker based in NYC. One of Filmmaker Magazine’s 2025 “New Faces of Indie Film,” her video work has screened at New Next, CuFF, ICDocs, and featured as a Vimeo staff pick. As a studio artist, she’s shown in group shows at CCS Hessel Museum of Art, Hudson, NY; MeetFactory, Prague; and NADA, Miami, FL; with a solo exhibition at Smack Mellon, Brooklyn, NY. She a member of Transcendence Creative, a collaborative project with Harris Rosenblum and Filip Kostic, and the Director of Operations of Do Not Research, where she co-edits the online publication, runs the educational program, and organizes in person public events.