The host

John W. Fail, host and performer with a unique flavour

The host

John W. Fail hosted Serious Introspection weekly in autum 2015 and spring 2016, during the initial run at Mad House (which can be watched online). He is an American-born artist who works primarily in open-form collaborations, aiming to explore experimental methods of collaborative cultural production. He co-instigated the Biathlon project in Helsinki from 2016-2018 whcih operated cooperative, decentralised culture platforms called Temporary and Kuusi Palaa. He was co-director of the Pixelache festival in 2015, and ran the Ptarmigan project in Helsinki and Tallinn from 2009-2014. John has recorded and performed in various experimental and improvised musical projects. He works primarily in organising trans-disciplinary events, bringing together people of diverse backgrounds to experiment with collaborative creative techniques, with a focus on discordant (even irrelevant) pleasures without regard for measurable outcomes.

Hosting services

John is available at your event for all hosting duties. The standard package brings John with the following features:

  • wearing of a three-piece suit
  • interviews
  • singing of karaoke (or other) tunes
  • custom monologue with jokes written for your event
  • witty banter and commentary

John is also available to moderate panel discussions, criticise cultural policies, lead non-idiomatic sound improvisation activities, and to talk openly about his life/emotional experiences. He, like all SI Services staff, comes in regular and family-friendly language options. The working language is English.

Curriculum Vitae

Education:
MLitt, Modernities, University of Glasgow (2006)
BS, Information Science, University of Pittsburgh (2001)

Projects and Publications:
Biathlon/Temporary/Kuusi Palaa, Helsinki, 2016-2018
Serious Introspection with John W. Fail, Mad House Helsinki, October 2015 - May 2016
Pixelache Living Spaces festival, Helsinki, September 2015
Alternative Mobility Research Triangle, Pixelache Helsinki, 2014-2015
Ptarmigan project space, Tallinn, Estonia 2011-2014
Slothrop's bookstore, Tallinn, 2011-2015
Ptarmigan project space, Helsinki, 2009-2010
Vernon & Burns meets Lied Music, Lost Lake LP, Shadaazz records, 2011
The 15,000 Day Boat Trip LP, 8mm records, 2010
Lied Music vs. Boy-Band Tax Returns, LP, Ultra Eczema records, 2006
Cenotaph record label, Pittsburgh/Glasgow, 2000-2008

Full CV

Further information