Moonlighter Presents is a nomadic New York-based lecture series dedicated to non-expertise and the art of public speaking. Founded in September 2010, the series evolved as a reaction to the increased emphasis on professionalization in academia and the art world. The lectures have taken place in a variety of non-traditional speaking venues, such as an old funeral home in Williamsburg, a former Catholic school in Soho, a bar in Greenpoint, and a corporate law firm in Manhattan. On Tuesday, April 24th, the Clocktower Gallery hosted Moonlighter's most recent installment, the ninth in the series, organized by Stephanie DeGooyer and Justin Martin.
Three speakers lectured briefly on topics that extend beyond their “official” qualifications: Ned Beauman speaks about his fascination with kings whose reigns lasted less than twenty minutes; R.H. Lossin discusses the strange and complicated practice of destroying literature to preserve it; and Jonah Corne explores deadpan and other fantasies of neutral face expression. Between the second and third speaker, brass musician Kelly Pratt of Bright Moments offered a brief musical interlude.
