Peter Weiss’s three-volume novel The Aesthetics of Resistance follows an unnamed narrator and his peers as they attempt to organise against the fascist regimes of Europe in the 1930s and 40s. As these figures discuss the failures and political missteps of their recent past, they turn to art and culture in the hopes of discovering the knowledge needed for an effective political action in the present.

Published between 1975 and 1981, Weiss undertook extensive historical research to complete the novel, with nearly all characters based on real historical figures. As Weiss was completing the third volume, the German filmmaker Harun Farocki visited his studio on the 17th and 18th of June 1979 to understand his working process.

Join us for a screening of On Display: Peter Weiss (1979) by Harun Farocki, and a discussion with translator Joel Scott of the long-awaited English translation of this final volume of The Aesthetics of Resistance. Organised by Daniel Ward, with special thanks to Antje Ehmann for providing access to the film.