Tim Maughan: Watching Paint Die (Sonic Acts XV, 2013)

About Sonic Acts XV - The Dark Universe: The Dark Universe is the unknown universe, the universe that remains mysterious. The Dark Universe is also the weird universe that draws us in and enfolds us in its shroud, blacker than burned black. Seekers of the unknown and the undiscovered must be able to imagine the impossible. About this talk: Groundbreaking science fiction writer Tim Maughan has been exploring augmented reality for several years now, particularly in his critically acclaimed collection Paintwork. For Sonic Acts he puts his money where his mouth is, and gives us a first glimpse of his fully realised AR exploration of media, perception, austerity and social class. In 2011 Tim Maughan (UK) released the critically acclaimed Paintwork, a collection of three short stories dealing with the roles of art, celebrity and globalisation in a very near, and strangely familiar, future. He’s currently working on his debut novel, another near-future piece exploring the social and cultural impact of hacktivism, online protest and cyber warfare. timmaughanbooks.com/ This talk and film were part of Sonic Acts XV's panel 'Futures of Science and Fiction' in which we prepared an impressive line-up of speakers in close collaboration with the magazine Arc, a futuristic collection of fact, fiction and opinion from the makers of New Scientist. Time to speculate on the future…