The Avalon
Exposition

A festival dedicated to the study of mankind

October 30 – November 1, 2026 Lighthaven · Berkeley

Invited by a friend

Get Your Ticket See the Programme

What is the Avalon Exposition?

Avalon wants you to help us radically restructure the study of mankind. In order to do this, we’re uniting a variety of forms of humanistic study and human expression in one place. There will be lectures, performances, roundtables, seminars, debates, love affairs, and, God willing, you.

What should I expect at the Avalon Exposition?

The Avalon Exposition aims to gather the greatest concentration of perspectives, tools, and works which shed light on the human condition in the world today. We are working to assemble speakers, known and unknown, alongside music, theater, DNA sequencers, neural imaging machines, and every other scientific, intellectual and artistic tradition useful for understanding the human condition. Our venue supports many simultaneous sessions, allowing participants to attend and organize whatever will be of value to them.

The Programme

38 talks·Friday to Sunday

Philosophy & Religion8

On the Presence of Enthusiasm in Philosophy

Brian Pines

The City and Man

Stephanie Wakefield

An Introduction to Center Study

Zack BakerAnthropology

The Will to Power Reappraised

Jonathan Wallis

What Is Changing in the Catholic Church?

Rafael Luciani

Intelligence and Attention: The Case for Ascetic Perception

Adam Robbert

Religion Reconsidered Through the Experience of Animals: Doctrine, Belief, and the Limits of Language

David Pinault

Magical Nominalism: A Conversation

Martin JayConversation

History & Letters11

Pindar in the Modern World

Gwern BranwenClassics

Reaching for Consilience: Genomics and the Two Cultures

Razib KhanGenetics

Desert Operations at El Alamein

Adam Jarvis

The Origins of Modernity in the Dutch Republic

Jonathan Wallis

Why Alexandria Was Steampunk

Samo Burja

Ernst Jünger at 100: Post-History and the Return of Myth

Elliot Neaman

Jezebel Agonistes: The Glass House and the Philosopher’s Stone

Michael Shindler

Uncovering Napoleon’s Heart

Alex Oaten

The Fiction-Making Animal: Darwin and Human Exceptionalism

Ian Duncan

Cybernetics, Psychedelics, Utopia

Benjamin Breen

The Global American Revolution

James Vaughn

The Sciences6

Genetic Sequencing Lottery & Demo

Keoni GandallDemonstration

Gathering Cognitive Ability Data from Medical Practices

Jordan Lasker

The Training Instinct: Behaviorism and Countercontrol

Diana Fleischman

How the Microbiome Is Redefining ‘Human’

Stephen Skolnick

Give Us Your Hand: A Demo of Electrical Muscle Stimulation

Abhishek DevDemonstration

Sensitivity and the Nature of Outlier Cognition

Lauren Qin

The Arts6

An Untitled Film from Hallsong Media

Michael CurziScreening

Conjured from This Dust

Lola GuthriePerformance

What Human Hands Can Do: Language, Creativity, and Tradition in North Indian Classical Drumming

Nihal SinghPerformance

The History, Theory, and Practice of Yoga Asana: A Hands-On Workshop

Ana BrooksWorkshop

Painting Enlightenment: Healing Visions of the Heart Sutra

Paula Arai

Singing the Odyssey

Christopher ColbyPerformance

Institutions & Society7

Post-Apocalyptic Cybernetics

James Poulos

Neoliberalism’s Shadow: Infrastructure and Process Creep

Adam Jarvis

The Social Consequences of the Polygenic Revolution

Jonathan Anomaly

The Future of Martian Society

Samo BurjaAnthropology

Why the Best Scientists Are Mystics

Ben Landau-Taylor

Taste in the Use of AI

Jacob Falkovich

Building Affordability: New Zealand’s Reforms and the Path to Housing Abundance

Eric Crampton

What is the Avalon Institute?

The Avalon Institute is building infrastructure to help the life of the mind flourish outside of Academia. We have been building a home for cultural ambition in San Francisco through residencies, seminars, reading groups, staged ancient Greek plays, music and poetry nights and much more. We want to perfect the skills necessary to organize productive intellectual and artistic infrastructure at any scale and in any field. Beyond San Francisco, we are building an alliance of groups who want the fundamental logistical, financial, and narrative foundations of the life of the mind to change. avalon.institute

Where is the Avalon Exposition?

Lighthaven, a 30,000 square foot campus at 2740 Telegraph Avenue.

Your Ticket

Invited by a friend

Full Pass

$500$300

$200 off the Standard price.

All three days, meals and the Halloween Gala.

Buy Ticket
Invited by a friend

Day Pass

$200$150

$50 off one day.

Any one day. Meals included.

One Day · $150
Lodging

Stay at Lighthaven

Rooms on and near the campus, from $126 a night.

Book a Room at Lighthaven

Q&A

Where is it happening?

Lighthaven, 2740 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley.

Where do I stay?

Book a room at Lighthaven or stay at a hotel nearby.

When does it start and end?

The Exposition starts on Friday at 2:00 pm and ends Sunday night.

How many people will be there?

We estimate the Exposition will have around three hundred and fifty attendees.

What does my ticket include?

Three days, two lunches, three dinners. The Halloween Gala is included.

How do I get on the schedule?

There will be a scheduling app which allows you to book your own sessions. Those interested in headline slots should email wallis@avalon.institute.

Who should come?

If you want to find new ways of studying humanity, you should come. If you want to find new mentors, collaborators or patrons in your own pursuits, you should come. If you are excited by and want to support a true reorganization of the humanities, you should come.

What is your refund policy?

Full refunds are available up to 7 days before the event. Contact wallis@avalon.institute.