Twice exiled for fear of two ideologically-opposed, though equally authoritarian political regimes, Vladimir Nabokov wrote from experience when stating “the utterly nonsensical is a natural and logical part” of a tyrant’s rule. 3hd 2024’s “Bend Sinister” discursive program takes its evocative title from the Russian-American author’s 1947 novel—a surreal and dystopian indictment of totalitarianism written in the wake of the Second World War. The free day-long event follows the overall festival theme of this year’s 3hd: “The Shadows That Linger,” which addresses the uncanny effects of a contemporary world defined by crisis, digital fragmentation, and dislocation.
In an effort to transform the discomfort of incomprehensibility into a catalyst for change, invited artists and musicians, journalists and academics occupy the monumental, bunker-like space of silent green’s Betonhalle to present two lectures, and two panels, examining the pasts, presents, and futures that affect us simultaneously. “Bend Sinister” looks directly at these distortions, refractions, and manipulations of perception that characterize the mind’s response to bewildering and oppressive realities, drawing inspiration from the ominous perspective of a philosopher struggling—and ultimately failing—to ignore the mandates of a dictator.
