The power of words should never be underestimated, its potency having been asserted repeatedly throughout history—particularly in the late 18th century. It was during this period of political upheaval that the rousing oration of Toussaint Louverture led to successful Haitian revolution, the very First Amendment ensuring freedom of speech was added to the United States Constitution, and the influential woman-hosted salons of France’s “age of conversation” harbored such radical ideas as the deposition of the country’s own monarchy. 3hd’s “Salon de Sticks and Stones” looks to harness this transformative tool for thought and ultimate action, expanding on this year’s “Let Them Eat Cake” festival edition with its focus on ideas around power and exploitation, consumption and production, in an era of extreme wealth disparity. 

“Salon de Sticks and Stones” takes its umbrella title, not only from these famed French discussion groups, but an abbreviation of the oft-recited English-language children’s rhyme that proclaims “words shall never hurt me.” Problematizing the notion that language is harmless, the Creamcake-hosted discursive program includes a lecture by artist and writer Alex Quicho and two panels—moderated by writer, editor, and journalist Steph Kretowicz. Themselves named after other popular and enduring idioms, their figurative meanings point to a generally-accepted truism that might not be so true after all.

3:00pm – 4:00pm
The Devil You Know: Knowledge Production and Power after the Enlightenment 
Featuring Vika Kirchenbauer, Shaunak Mahbubani

4:30pm – 5:00pm
Alex Quicho: GIRLSTACK

5:30pm – 6:30pm
Ugly as Sin: Beauty, Morality, and the Politics of Prettiness
Featuring Alex Quicho, Arvida Byström, Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju

7:00pm
Saint Precious