News & Events

Join Our Next SMRN Public Lecture: Derrida and the Diagram

March 12, 2026

We are pleased to invite you to another SMRN public lecture with Dr. J.R. Osborn. In this talk, Dr. Osborn will present Jacques Derrida’s grammatology, which proposes a radical rethinking of written and graphic communication.

Heartwarming Meeting of August 30, 2025

September 30, 2025

During the meeting, J.R. Osborn traced the four-form Arabic script model to Alphabetum Arabicum (1597) and its lasting impact, followed by Laura Marks’ talk on jinn as mediators and metaphors for contemporary media.

SRS (Silk Road Songbook): inaugural exhibition and book launches

September 9, 2025

We are excited to announce the inaugural exhibition of SRS (Silk Road Songbook), an audio-video installation created by Millie Chen and Arzu Özkal, opening at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center in Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

SMRN Public Lecture Series Presents

August 15, 2025

Virtual Book Launch: Iranian Cinema with Psychoanalysis by Dr. Farshid Kazemi, exploring desire, sexuality, and censorship in contemporary Iranian cinema, followed by discussion with Dr. Laura U. Marks.