The Interviewers Chair

This sculptural module was originally conceived for the exhibition Serene Velocity in Practice: MC510/CS183 commissioned by the Auckland Art Gallery. The Interviewers Chair is a sculptural interpretation of Thiel’s professorial chair which he inhabited for just one semester while teaching the course ‘Start up’ or Computer Science 183 CS183 at Stanford University in 2012. The course notes were later published by Blake Masters with Thiel as Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, a New York Times bestseller.

Serene Velocity in Practice is based on two seemingly unrelated academic courses, MC510 and CS183, which were modules taught for a short time in Californian higher-learning institutions – one by John Wimber—musician, evangelist, educationalist, author, and founder of Vineyard International Ministries, a global neocharismatic church brand, and the other by Peter Thiel—billionaire, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, public intellectual, philanthropist, author, co-founder of Pay-Pal, Palantir Technologies, Founders Fund, and Facebook angel investor.

John Wimber taught as adjunct instructor at the School of World Missions (Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California). The course; MC510 Signs & Wonders and Church Growth took place over four winter semesters beginning in 1982 and drew on Wimber’s church-growth expertise in relation to faith healing and Kingdom Theology. MC510 is best known for practical sessions, dubbed “clinic time,” where healings and exorcisms were performed by and on class members.

Peter Thiel taught as adjunct staff in the Computer Science Department at Stanford University, California. The course, CS183 Startup took place over a single semester in 2012 and drew on Thiel’s expertise in diagnosing the post-2008 business cycle in relation to technology, globalization and the forward challenge of founding tomorrow's successful undiscovered unicorn.

While seemingly poles apart ideologically, Stevenson’s juxtaposition of these worldviews in side-by-side classroom installation suggests how they may have more in common than might first be imagined. Both courses transformed their respective fields, quickly gained mass global followings, best-selling books, and a multitude of cloned courses in academic departments around the world.

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