1984 is a project by UK artist, curator and researcher Sophie Hope.  This iteration of 1984 is curated by Steve Mayhew with Sophie joining online from London.

The project revolves around a series of dinners with people politically and artistically active in the year 1984. The dinners are audio recorded, with the aim to create a piece for radio, an installation and a publication. 1984 dinners are being held in the UK, Singapore, Australia and South Africa in 2014.

While certainly about the historical content – what was happening
for artists and activists in 1984, thirty years ago – the project also
explores how memories and narratives of histories are interpreted across generations and geographies, experimenting with the dinner party as a site for capturing collective (and perhaps contradictory) stories.

Sophie’s inspiration for 1984 came from researching the tactics of artists/activists working in the margins of Thatcher’s Britain. For Steve, his interest comes from memories of being fifteen, living in regional South Australia with his politically active family, and  discovering politics through music.

For Adhocracy, Steve will curate and cook a four-course dinner for eight special guests. Each course includes a series of provocations for discussion by the invitees. During the dinner, there will be opportunities for small audiences to join as outside observers for one hour/course.

Then on Sunday and Monday, Adhocracy audiences can experience an installation within the detritus of the dinner, listening to  recordings from previous dinners and the Adhocracy event, Steve’s own memories and, of course, his 80s mixtapes!