An exhibition of installation and video work by MFA candidate Michael Dirisio will provide context for a discussion of financial precarity and alternative economies, Thursday, November 2, in the main gallery of Mackenzie Hall.

“The event will address the role that political art can play in engaging with the city and with each other, and how it can prompt a reconsideration of social norms and conventions,” says Dirisio.

He says the term “financial precarity” refers both to the tumultuous state of the global economy and the precariousness of labour, given the declining degree of job security.

Dirisio will screen a film he created and will moderate the discussion on causes of the global economic recession and how people can effect change, with panellists:

• philosophy professor Jeff Noonan on “The Cultural Contradictions of Neo-Liberalism,” and
• members of Broken City Lab on “The impact of neoliberalism on Windsor and what people are doing about it.”

He hopes the discussion proves constructive.

“That is one of the qualities that I appreciate in the arts, the ability to be creative and critical, the chance to rethink things,” Dirisio says. “Art can address these issues in unusual ways, and push or challenge boundaries that are often unquestioned.”

The event is free and open to the public, and starts at 7 p.m. The Mackenzie Hall Cultural centre is located at 3277 Sandwich Street.