This week, Norah joins Ben to talk about a subjective… subject. The word is art, so prepare yourself for a more philosophical episode than you're used to. The hosts share their love of observing, appreciating, making, and talking about art. Ben tells a few stories, Norah brings her research, and they both drop many artist and architect names. For details about the episode’s "video game bookends," see below!
Video games mentioned or discussed (albeit briefly) in this episode include:
00:00:21 - Chicago snowstorms, gauntlets, removable hands, and one big wind tunnel
00:02:30 - What we are playing these days: Mahjong Dimensions and Pocket Card Jockey
00:05:27 - An impromptu endorsement of Apple services and products
00:06:40 - Art according to Oxford Languages, the 13 Bhutanese Arts, and the Art of War
00:10:30 - Subjectivity, relativity, no abbreviations, “art thou,” and ars
00:12:20 - Personal meanings of the word, Ben’s arts of podcasting, and NFT-like episode titles
00:15:30 - Ben asks, “when you follow a pattern, are you creating art?”
00:17:42 - Norah’s “not normal people” when drawing and painting, and Ben’s modern art
00:20:46 - Paint by numbers is so much easier with iPads, and representative art philosophy
00:26:28 - Impressionism, art as form, Norah loves Frank Gehry, and noisy mimes
00:33:32 - Architecture of Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
00:35:47 - Ben’s Mister 20 / POÄNG chair diversion, and an architect’s furniture designs
00:38:51 - HEY GRAHAM! Do you know what would make this podcast better?
00:40:42 - Norah’s experiences at this year’s International Puppet Festival in Chicago
00:43:19 - Bad puppet show criteria, Tony Scott, and thinking about what isn’t art
00:45:51 - Paul’s impressive latte art, art student Dread Scott, and the movie “So Fine”
00:50:38 - The use photorealism and other stylistic choices in video games
00:54:09 - Ben loves Vanillaware Ltd. games, and talks about the company’s history
00:57:25 - Ben tries to explain hand painted images, RTS games, and pointless teasers
01:00:01 - “Better Off Ted,” Jabberwocky, and Ben loses his train of thought
01:02:20 - Norah impressed by the art style of “World of Demons”
01:04:28 - The cel shading game art style, ne’er-do-wells, graffiti art, and Jean-Michel Basquiat
01:08:40 - Perceptions of art, closing thoughts, the art of shame
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