Kalle Lasn - Books and Films

Books and Films

See also: Culture jamming

In his first book, Culture Jam, Lasn portrays consumerism as the fundamental evil of the modern era. He calls for a "meme war": a battle of ideas to shift Western society away from consumer capitalism. His second book, Design Anarchy, calls on graphic designers, illustrators and others to turn from working in service to corporate and political pollution of both the planet and "the mental environment", and to embrace a radical new aesthetic devoted to social and environmental responsibility. His third book, Occupy Econ 101 (Seven Stories Press, Fall 2012), will include contributions from Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz, Paul Samuelson, George Akerlof, Lourdes Benería, Julie Matthaei, Manfred Max-Neef, David Orrell, Paul Gilding, Mathis Wackernagel and Herman Daly, among others.

Lasn made documentary films for 20 years beginning in 1970 - many of them to do with Japan, the homeland of his wife, Masako Tominaga. His award-winning films include:

  • Japan Inc: Lessons for North America?
  • Japanese Woman
  • Satori in the Right Cortex
  • The Rise and Fall of American Business Culture
  • The Autumn Rain: Crime in Japan

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