Introduction: The Early and Late Stages of Cognitive Capitalism

The Psychopathologies of Cognitive Capitalism is an ongoing event structure composed of symposiums, workshops and publications initiated by Chiara Figone of Archive Books and myself through my art project the Office of Aesthetic Occupation. Our intention is to raise consciousness by disseminating information about cognitive capitalism in general and its associated discourses. This volume emanated from a conference held at the Institute of Contemporary Inquiry in Berlin in the spring of 2013. This was preceded by our initial event, co-sponsored with California Institute of the Arts and Art Center School of Design, in collaboration with my colleagues Arne De Boever and Jason Smith in the fall of 2012. The Psychopathologies of Cognitive Capitalism: Part Two is being launched, on the occasion of our third happening at Goldsmiths College, University of London in cooperation with Mark Fisher and the Department of Visual Cultures.