info (english)
monochrom is an art-technology-philosophy group having its seat in Vienna and Zeta Draconis. monochrom is an unpeculiar mixture of proto-aesthetic fringe work, pop attitude, subcultural science, context hacking and political activism. Our mission is conducted everywhere, but first and foremost in culture-archeological digs into the seats (and pockets) of ideology and entertainment. monochrom has existed in this (and almost every other) form since 1993.
The Tome Raider: Accomplished rare-book thief convicted again
William Jacques, nicknamed ‘Tome Raider’ after stealing hundreds of rare books in the late 1990s, drew up a ‘thief’s shopping list’, targeting the most expensive books that he could access. He used a false name to sign in to the Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley library in London before hiding valuable books under his tweed jacket, … Read more
Rent a White Guy: Confessions of a fake businessman from Beijing
Not long ago I was offered work as a quality-control expert with an American company in China I’d never heard of. No experience was necessary—which was good, because I had none. While settling into Dongying, an industrial city in Shandong province I’d also never heard of, I sought ways to relax and discovered the best … Read more
monochrom’s GOOGLE WARS #1: Montreal
A theatrical RPG improv extravaganza for Montréal The 90-minute performance will feature Johannes Grenzfurthner, member of the Austrian art collective monochrom, as the Game Master, and four Montréalers from the creative scene as improvisational players. Local illustrators will “live draw” the imaginary scenes and characters, in real time. In contrast to traditional Pen&Paper RPGs, the … Read more
‘Quantum Computer’ a stage closer with Silicon breakthrough
The remarkable ability of an electron to exist in two places at once has been controlled in the most common electronic material — silicon — for the first time. The research findings — published in Nature by a UK-Dutch team from the University of Surrey, UCL (University College) London, Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, and the … Read more
We are the only animals that like Tabasco sauce
Can Science Capture the Complexity of Human Pleasures? I’m a practicing psychiatrist, not a research psychologist, but as someone who follows the literature on happiness, I’m convinced that How Pleasure Works is a comprehensive and authoritative summary of, to quote the subtitle, “The New Science of Why We Like What We Like.” It’s also a … Read more