Shows
talkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #143: Resident Philosopher Dena Shottenkirk speaks with artist Alexander (Zev) on art as a form of power at Stephen Street GalleryTimestamps:00:10: Introductions01:15: Power in leadership as a positive force03:00: The loss of power, male loneliness, and the blowback against individual rights05:00: Art as Power. The raw self07:00: Suffering and the notion of being human11:00: Spontaneity and the "play" of art that solves problems13:45: Art as a manifestation and articulation of emotion19:45: Recognizing your fear to muster courage21:00: Absurdity, divinity, and the coping of the rational brain. The importance of subjective truth27:00: Disenfranchisement, stoking fears of assertions of powerSupport the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2026-02-0632 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #140: Resident Philosopher Dena Shottenkirk speaks with Marketa about the Velvet Revolution at Jilska 14 Gallery in PragueSupport the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2026-01-1230 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #139: Resident Philosopher Dena Shottenkirk speaks with Amelie on power and the censorship of Lolita at Jilska 14 Gallery in PragueSupport the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2026-01-0635 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #139: Resident Philosopher Dena Shottenkirk talks with art critic Sean Tatol about power, Wittgenstein, & looking at artTimestamps:00:10: Introductions02:20: Power as it relates to art criticism. Kant, Wittgenstein, and the grounds of objectivity05:50: The crisis of criticism. Speculative investment in the art world. 11:00: Standards, economic interests, and changing the way we look at art13:00: The economic pressure to succeed14:00: The Art World and building thought together15:00: Culture vs Economics. The value of "frivolity"19:15: The resuscitation of "looking." Dedication to Art, despite the margins26:30: The fundamentals of creativity: Understanding the scope of the present and crafting difference29:00: False repetition as a consequence of derivative art. 33:00: The desire for novelty40:30: Perceiving the mind of the creator and yo...
2025-05-1650 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #126 R.P. Dena talks with talkPOPc participant Emily about censorship, art, and free speech2:00 They explore the uncertainty surrounding censorship and the understanding of the First Amendment.5:00 They acknowledge that artists often express political views through their work and note differences in how art is supported in different countries, such as Germany's grants for techno clubs. The conversation touches on the challenges faced by artists in discussing sensitive topics like Palestine and Israel within certain cultural contexts.8:00 They discuss the distinction between government actions that limit speech and actual censorship. The conversation contrasts the situation in the United States, where artists have more independence from state support, with that...
2024-05-0432 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #125 R.P. Dena talks with talkPOPc participant Joshua about art, expression, and censorship1:00 They discuss the significance of the arts in facilitating free speech and expression.5:00 They delve into the complexities of humor and artistic expression in navigating sensitive topics.8:00 They ponder the concept of censorship in theater, admitting uncertainty about its bounds as they haven't experienced it firsthand. However, they suggest that modern theater may offer more freedom for marginalized voices to share their stories.10:00 They discuss how individuals edit the information they consume, choosing which ideas to allow themselves to engage with. This selective intake of information, influenced by the online dialogue regarding the...
2024-03-1724 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #124 R.P. Dena talks with talkPOPc participant Malka about censorship and Gaza conflict1:00 They discuss a recent revisitation of a censorship project in light of challenges faced on American campuses. Malka encounters a family member who mentioned students leaving Brooklyn College due to feeling attacked during Palestinian demonstrations, highlighting the diversity of perspectives and experiences among students. 5:00 They discuss the lack of genuine listening and the prevalence of posturing and defensiveness in conversations, both among students and faculty. 10:00 They discuss the issue of feeling unsafe in discussions, particularly regarding tensions between different perspectives.14:00 They discuss the balance between academic freedom and maintaining a safe learning environment. Th...
2024-03-1721 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #118 R.P. Shottenkirk speak in Prague at Jilska 14 with Victoria about art, peacemaking, and GodTimestamps:00:10: Introductions with Victoria01:50: What does Art do for people? What's the point? Opening a door to philosophy/psychology. Sharing experiences between nations perhaps. 03:55: Art starts in a place, in a culture and is a representation of that. Art spreading allows movement from culture to culture. A transference of knowledge. But now, Art is different than it used to be07:25: American Art, German Art. Do nationalistic identities of Art still exist? Globalization's impact on Art. Peacemaking might not make so much sense if the Art is all the same. 09:45: Western Art and the use of non-Western cultures. Is Ar...
2024-01-0322 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #116: R.P. Shottenkirk and J. L. Brandl speak at the Galerie 5020 in Salzburg, Austria on art as a tool for individual cognition and social cooperation00-2:08: Brandl speaks of the general topic of art as epistemology. He asks: What does this mean? It depends on how one defines epistemology; if epistemology is gaining knowledge, you can't interpret art as the study of gaining knowledge - it is not a simple predicate-identity sentence. But why not say that art is a tool for the study of cognition?2:10- 2:47: Shottenkirk laughs and states that he's gotten to the soft underbelly of the problem quite fast! She notes, "I stole that phrase so long ago I forgot a long time ago...I stole it from Nelson...
2023-10-1547 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #115: Dena Shottenkirk speaks with Viennese gallerist Christine König about literature and art at Salzburg5020 Gallery00- 1:30: Shottenkirk introduces the project. 1:30 - 3:05: König clarifies the definition of art to be broadly construed to mean culture at large, and Shottenkirk agrees. König then states that she doesn't really know why other people care about art though she personally cares for literature and for her specific gallery program. Art is like food: we need but we do not ask "do you care about food?" This is just part of our life.3:05 - 4:28: Shottenkirk notes that every species care about food but we are the only species that cares about art. König says, "Yes...
2023-10-0734 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #113 R. P. Shottenkirk speaks with Philosopher Christopher Gauker @ 5020 Gallery, Salzburg, Austria00 -1:38: At the talkPOPc exhibition at the 5020 Gallery in Salzburg, Austria, August 2023, Shottenkirk asks Gauker about his theory of imagistic data and arguments against propositional content.1:40 - 3:30: Gauker begins by saying that he is interested in imagistic content. People's capacity to solve problems by mental imagery has been neglected in philosophy. Philosophers have tended to think of cognition on the model of reasoning from propositions. But we often solves problems by means of mental imagery. He gives a example of this in solving a plumbing problem, and then the example of putting on one's jacket. But he's not s...
2023-09-1145 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #112: Resident Philosopher Dr. Sascha Benjamin Fink speaks (in German / auf Deutsch!) with Pauline Simon in Magdeburg, GermanytalkPOPc auf Deutsch! talkPOPc "Art as Cognition" / Kunst als Denkform von Forum Gestaltung in Magdeburg. 0:08 Intro: "Hallo und herzlichen Willkommen hier in talkPOPC tent ich bin Sasha Fink und talkPOPc ist ein allgemeines talk und Performanz format von Dena Shottenkirk" / "Hi and welcome to the talkPOPc [tent] i am Sasha Fink and talkPOPc is a performance-talk format from Dena Shottenkirk" Thema: "Kunst als Denkform" Dr. Sascha Benjamin Fink im gespräch mit Pauline Simon: / Theme: Art as a Form of Thinking (Cogniton) Dr. Fink speaks in depth with Pauline Simon about this.Anstatt punk...
2023-09-0517 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #107: Hendrix speaks with R.P. Shottenkirk about how art can make the viewer feel as though they are being seenTimestamps:00:10: Introductions with Hendrix00:50: Is it about the purpose of Art? Defining cognition to boot. 01:50: Art is cognition, especially for the Artist. It comes from cognition. Pollock would approach Art differently from Picasso, likely based on the stimuli in their respective lives. 03:45: Emotion also comes from cognition. How you feel comes from how you think. A dog or a cat person, depending on our judgments, our emotions change. We bring our prejudices everywhere. Except in this case, regarding pet preferences05:15: The way you capture the world depends on how you've seen it and how you've lived, even two cl...
2023-03-0612 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #106: Danielle - Art, Fiction & TruthtalkPOPc Resident Philosopher Dr. Dena Shottenkirk speaks with Danielle at the Center for Fiction in Downtown BrooklynTimestamps:00:10: Introductions01:00: What does Danielle think about Art? Defining cognition is step #102:10: Is Art cognition? Art allows people to process and express what happens inside their brain. It's a tool for the Artist. 04:05: Taking the inner experience and making it evident to outsiders. A 3rd person PoV of a 1st person experience05:30: Art as the nugget of fun for problem solving. Art is a non-stressful way of solving problems, but maybe fun is not part of this06:55: Does non-fiction c...
2023-01-2326 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #102: Estafania Soto Reyes and the Theatre of the Oppressed在第102集中，talkPOPc参与者埃斯塔法尼亚·索托·雷耶斯（Estafania Soto Reyes）与常驻液压Dena Shottenkirk博士谈论了位于布鲁克林市中心波隆斯基莎士比亚中心的小说中心和新观众剧院外面的被拥挤者剧院。时间：00:10：介绍01:35：被压迫者剧院03:20：观点转变。某些主题不一定适合社会。不同的观点和生活质量。有些东西很深，有些东西很浅。 06:10：根据观点，某些担忧变得微不足道。这同样适用于艺术吗？艺术的好坏受到古典主义的影响吗？08:55：被验证的文化是西方的。全球语法。地区社区用于制作与地区相关的艺术。金钱和全球化改变了游戏的名称。11:40：反对阶级主义和仇外心理的运动开始苏醒。还有我们很长的路要走13:30：我们如何制作一个艺术故事并赋予地方方言合法性？评估你自己并检查你的观点。你的观点是阶级吗主义者？16:30：怎样才能让电影既真实又能赚钱？ 19:40：同化和文化。文化的生存意味着你无法同化。“国际风格”因此差异消失。 Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2022-11-2722 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #101: Arliss speaks with Resident Philosopher Shottenkirk (his mother!) about 20th Century nihilism, God, and the role of art2:00-4:20: Arliss states that art had two phases: a hierarchical phase when it imitated music in structure. Like music has a tonic note to it, and art organized itself similarly with composition. But that "was shattered" at the early twentieth century with Kandinsky and Schoenberg who were doing work at the same time, and communicated. "From Schoenberg came horror music - the kind of music you'd score a horror movie to."4:20-5:50: Arliss further explains that Kandinsky, before he was famous, was a fan of Schoenberg's. "I kind of think of Schoenberg as being the devil of music, bas...
2022-11-2724 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #100: talkPOPc at galerie Jilská14: Philosophers Dena Shottenkirk and Martin Nitsche: the Bridge between Continental and Analytic PhilosophyGallery Conversations: talkPOPc at galerie Jilská 14, PragueArtist and talkPOPc Founder Dr. Dena Shottenkirk speaks w/ Resident Philosopher Dr. Martin Nitsche on the Bridge between Continental and Analytic Philosophy0 - 2:09: Shottenkirk: introduction of talkPOPc's radical reforming of both art and philosophy in order to emphasize the communal role of conversation.2:10 - 3:39: Bridging Analytic and Continental philosophy3:40 - 5:49: the importance of conversation in making this bridge5:50 - 9:38: Shottenkirk asks Martin Nitsche about his book "Methodical Precedence of Intertwining: An Introduction to a Transitive-topological Phenomenology", where Nitsche writes on Husserl's r...
2022-11-1429 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #98: Arliss speaks to Resident Philosopher Shottenkirk (his mother!) about the underlying religious/atheistic sub-structures of artTimestamps:00:10: Introductions01:45: Art had 2 phases. Hierarchical structure of composition. Schoenberg and Kadinsky. Chaotic pieces and stress in music. 04:55: Chaos in the middle. Intellectually interesting shattering of traditional structures. 20th century art born of the shattering. Away from traditional life07:30: World War I as a traumatic event that has pushed Art vs Social organization change08:50: The Star of Redemption and the Lord of the Rings. You die when no one is there to remember your words. The point of this story is a primordial slush of dying peoples in pre-Christian Europe. Until Schoenberg and the shattering, this is how o...
2022-10-3024 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #98: Chelsea - Making Space for People to Be CreativeIn conversation with Resident Philosopher Dr. Shottenkirk, Chelsea, a documentary producer, talks about making space for people to be creativeTimestamps:00:10: Introductions01:05: Art and Philosophy, both are conversations02:35: Chelsea's perspective on Art. A facilitator, a documentary producer.04:30: The universal and the particular. Art needs to be true, if it's a lie, it won't ring true.06:00: Art retells universal truths. What are those universal truths? Desire for one08:15: The relationship between desire and integrity10:55: "The more honest it is, the more it moves us" Art can be a space for us to accept ourselves14:05: Antigone in Prison...
2022-10-1130 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #99 R.P. Shottenkirk speaks in Prague at Jilska 14 gallery with William about art as paying attention时间：00:10：威廉介绍01:50：艺术是人们分享想法的表现。从他人和自我中获取知识。政治、对话开始、冥想的过程，这是一个范围04:10：每个人通过不同的事物获得意义。对于威廉来说，它来自四面八方。最近，它自然而然地变得越来越重要07:15：美学。并非所有的艺术体验都是令人愉快的。准确定位美学欣赏的高度更广泛的。 09:45：恐怖电影和跳伞首先获得了安全的要素，但对于悲剧的描述却有所不同。他们关注并提供深刻的知识。13:45：关于艺术的体验帮助我们更多地欣赏美学，但不仅仅是关于美，而是它增强了体验。但我们如何定义美学呢？美学和走进画廊并体验一个陈列有什么关系？ 18:30：“低频”与群体能量相关。关注周围发生的事情。美学是一种类似的感官体验。你在关注吗？足球比赛是一种审美体验吗？22:15：随着我们对艺术有了更多的经验。我们可以更好地了解周围更广泛的事物。艺术可以让我们更多地了解感官体验。 23:30：从一张白纸开始。更多的经历充满了听力。加缪多种以及经历对于阻止/避免自杀念头的价值。 Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2022-10-0229 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #98: Darell: "The Nugget of Fun" entertainment that is at the core of all artIn Episode 98 of the talkPOPc Podcast, Participant Darrel explores Art as Cognition introducing what he refers to as "The Nugget of Fun" or the entertainment that is at the core of all art with Resident Philosopher Dr. Dena Shottenkirk at this summers outdoor pop-up conversation event series between the Center for Fiction and the Theatre for a New Audience at Polonsky Shakespeare Center in Downtown Brooklyn.Timestamps:00:10: Introductions00:50: We care so much about Art, but why do we do this? Art is contextual. Could be pure entertainment, or a medium for learning about other pe...
2022-09-1222 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #92: Aharon - Individual PoV and how consensus is reachedOur talkPOPc Fall 2022 Intern Aharon speaks with Resident Philosopher and talkPOPc founder Dr. Dena Shottenkirk about individual point of view and how we reach consensus. Timestamps:00:10: Introductions, Consensus view of Art, and favorite forms01:20: Art as a subjective form. Based on the person perceiving it and stories like Harry Potter02:50: Not just narrative, but the experience as well. 5 readers and 5 vastly different experiences?04:15: Game of Thrones, the general objective consensus view. How does it happen if the experience is a subjective one? Rejection of consensus05:40: We get consensus on a superficial level. The layers of experience 06:35: Co...
2022-06-1324 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #83: talkPOPc on Montez Press Radio featuring Resident Philosophers Nicholas Whittaker, Carolina Flores and Dr. Dena Shottenkirk in conversation: "Philosophy as conversation", "Art as conversation" & "talkPOPc as thought-building and love"Timestamps00:00: Introductions, Experiences as Resident Philosophers and a bit of History 9 years running01:20: Art and Philosophy. Both are just conversations. Building of thought02:50: The tent, the stranger, the conversation. Sharing magical moments with the world03:55: Nicholas, intimacy of philosophical conversation. People get intimidated by philosophy. "I don't know what cognition is" and pulling out the glimmer05:50: Trust and the importance of the 1:1. No dominance, no right or wrong. Just collaboratively talking06:40: Carolina chimes in. Serious conversations, but it's a bit exhausting. Completely attending to your conversation partner takes energy. Almost a loving perspective to give them the attention...
2022-03-2050 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #81: Resident Philosopher Anatoly Nichvoloda in conversation with talkPOPc founder and Resident Philosopher Dr. Shottenkirk on art's basis in scienceTimestamps:01:20: The relationship between Art and Epistemology. How does cognition work? How is Art a way for cognition to work?02:15: The Smirking Mona Lisa. The peripheral perspective, rods, fovea and perceiving contrast04:20: The sensors in the cornea. Color perception, detail, and Da Vinci's use of contrast built into his art and the fleeting smile of the Mona Lisa06:20: The problem of zoom without peripheral information. The way for the brain to filter out less important information. Saccadic movement in the savannah07:35: We're not meant to stare. Even dogs get it.10:35: Compiling and adding up information. What's relevant to...
2022-03-1331 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #80: Andrey - "From Recording to Speaking""From Recording to Speaking" - talkPOPc's Audio Engineer Andrey, the wizard behind the talkPOPc Podcast, joins us to continue our explorations into talkPOPc Topic #3 Art as CognitionTimestamps:00:30: Science experiment on consensus in society. Proprietary thoughts, but not just our own. We owe others.02:40: Using thought, springboards to develop our own thoughts.03:30: Definitions of Art and Cognition04:45: Art similar to Food. Picky eating doesn't make something bad08:00: Separation of Cognition and Perception09:30: Art is indicative of Cognition10:35: Defining Intentionality12:55: Do we need intentionality to view Art?14:10: Cognition and the question of Why?15:30: The question of Why...
2022-02-2841 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #79: Taylor - Dreams, Sisyphus and meaningTimestamps:00:20: Taylor's relationship with Art. The purest form to express the self. Being open to the world and finding Art in everything.01:40: Freedom vs Meaning. Are there any limits to what we count as Art. It's unlimited, but it depends on you/your experiences03:05: The natural world as Art. Beauty's role in Art. The beautiful mesh of natural and human. 04:30: Tendencies to surround the self with beauty. How does interior design/decor inform us of a person's mind? Even alone, we express ourselves for ourselves06:30: Representing yourself is intentional. Expression is artistic and Art can be a form o...
2022-02-2119 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #78: Morgan -"Philosophy tells us how to think, not what to think" - in conversation with talkPOPc Resident Philosopher Carolina FloresTimestamps00:20: Morgan's relationship with Art. Everything is creative, living is being an Artist. Understanding the what and how of Art. 01:25: Polyamory in Art. Is it free, or constricting? What does the Artist think?03:10: Unconscious expression in Art. Finding the true identity. 04:15: Constraint of social norms. Needed for structure and stability. We need to think deeper to know which ones are true to us. 06:15: Everyone has the capacity for Art and Philosophy. We're constantly creating through the inner Artist. We're all curious and want to create. 08:00: Philosophy, how to think rather than what to think. 09:40: True meaning of creativity. Using...
2022-02-0716 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #77: Laura - "Art as non-linguistic, Unconscious Thought"Artist Laura Kaplan in conversation with talkPOPc Resident Philosopher Carolina Flores on talkPOPc Topic #3 Art as Cognition: "Art as non-linguistic, unconscious thought" Timestamps:00:25: Laura's background in Art and the role of intuition. Feeling over thinking02:25: Artists are philosophers, but don't have the words they need03:15: Art as moving meditation, bringing thinking and feeling together unconsciously05:50: Physicality versus Words. Words may not be as honest07:55: Syzygy and the synchronicity of words. Open endedness of interpretation10:35: Perspective and instantaneous judging. We want to hear what people think, but they're not necessarily right13:20: We always draw ourselves. Interpretation has m...
2022-02-0123 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #76: Resident Philosopher Nicholas Whittaker in conversation with an Anonymous Passerby on talkPOPc Topic #3 Art as Cognition - "Art is Taking a Break from Thinking"Timestamps:00:45: The capacity of our brains to receive knowledge. Fancy way of saying "thinking." Is Art a kind of thinking, is it the same thing as our "normal" thinking?02:00: Art makes you think. It is thought. A cognitive theory of Art vs the spiritual perspective of Art. 03:10: If Art is just biological, is it still beautiful? Interpretation is key. When we look at "Art" it is beautiful to us and becomes special by holding beauty. 04:25: Does life lose something special when we think of ourselves as purely biological? 05:35: Don't think of it as "I'm thinking about it." Just thi...
2022-01-2411 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #75: Sam - Humor, Emotions, & ArttalkPOPc Participant Sam explores humor, emotions, and art with talkPOPc Resident Philosopher Nicholas WhittakerTimestamps:00:20: Defining Cognition: Brain activity, movement, feelings. 01:55: Instances of Art: Anything created by human beings to evoke emotion in others. 04:25: Conscious Rational Thought as Cognition: Is humor cognition? A physical spasm? 07:00: The Essence of Art: How do we represent it in an image? How well can you capture the real world?11:25: Older Definitions of Art: Burke and poetry as the perfect art. Prompting emotion. Yet perfect is subjective.Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc E...
2022-01-1013 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 74: Marta. "Higher and Lower Order" in the Cognitive Function of ArtMarta, Philosophy graduate student at CUNY + Resident Philosopher Nicholas Whittaker explore talkPOPc Topic #3 "Art as Cognition"Timestamps:01:00: Explaining cognition. Brain activity, and higher order brain activity01:55: Is the art experience higher order? It depends on context. Are you creating art? If you're thinking about what you want to do, higher order. Purely reacting, perhaps not03:45: The Art Critic and Pro Artist: Higher order, but are they also using lower order or is it purely high cognitive capacities at play. Lower cognition might feed into higher order05:55: Jamming with music, or taking an approach with a cognitive...
2022-01-0324 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #73: Frank - "French Stucturalist Philosophers, Ancient Asian Philosophy, & Compassion"Frank, a computer scientist working in military intelligence, speaks to Resident Philosopher Nicholas Whittaker about French stucturalist philosophers, ancient Asian philosophy, and compassion.Timestamps:00:40: Existentialism, Aesthetics ,Cognitive Science and Computer Science Entrepreneur. Frank's background making him a perfect guest for the topic02:05: The stereotype, futility of human life vs hardcore data analysis in a lab. Compatibility between opposed disciplines. 03:50: The closed loop of empirical and imaginative. Rational vs irrational. Moving from formal aspects of human life. Making the leap from the programming to the ineffable experience of it. 06:02: Francis Fukuyama, French deconstructionism and the debates of ac...
2021-12-2713 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 72: Kyle speaks to R.P. Whittaker about thinking like an artistTimestamps:00:35: Artistic mindset? Juggling and adopting an attitude of accepting charitability towards concepts01:35: How can we do cognition like art? How can our cognitive capacities learn from Art and aesthetic experiences?02:45: Making art requires flipping the switch. But when we do that, do we apply it everywhere?04:00: No such thing as a bad concept. This vs That is immaterial. Schematizing the world is relative. 05:55: The world is set up by conceptual maps. We need them to be still and static to make sense of the world. 07:30: Words evolve. Black swans changing the idea of "Swan"08:50: Art based attitude. Wh...
2021-12-2012 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #71: Meg asks Resident Philosopher Nick Whittaker about human vs. animal aesthetic experienceTimestamps:00:30: Laying the groundwork. What is Art as Cognition? Cognition as an intellectual process. Higher order brain activity, and Robinson's "Deeper than Reason"02:00: Philosophy of Emotion. Are emotions things that come from automatic reactions, or are they conceptual? How much brain activity does an emotion need?03:10: Should we separate thought and emotion? 05:10: Lower order vs Higher order brain activity. What we share with animals vs what separates us as Humans06:25: Is the Art experience a lower brain function, or does our brain bring us a more complex experience of it?09:00: Do we have a hierarchy between higher and l...
2021-12-1315 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #70: Oralie - Biology and the limits of Observation, Meaning-makingtalkPOPc Participant Oralie in conversation with Resident Philosopher Nicholas Whittaker on Biology and the limits of Observation and Meaning-making.Timestamps:00:55: Understanding the world through Aesthetic. The immediacy of Art and the ability to grab us, intertwined with the cognitive process. Meaning-making Machines02:20: The biological programming of Art. We're biological beings and our experience of the world is biological. 04:35: Kant's opinion of Beauty. It should be universal. Should be, or is? Edmund Burke thinks it is. 06:35: Liking art is not enough. Why do you like it? Putting a scientific spin on the art experience and the 5 Pillars of...
2021-11-2920 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #69: Alex & Resident Philosopher Whittaker: cognition is a form of artTimestamps:00:20: 2 Ways to View Art as Cognition: Art as a way to express cognition vs Cognition is a form of Art02:25: Blank Page: Pure thought, consciousness and reality against physical objects.05:15: Physical Interaction with the World: No physical brain, no consciousness. 07:15: Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transparent Eyeball: Erasing the self and observing10:00: Philosophical Thought: The ultimate rational being and erasing subjectivity12:15: Between Subjectivity and Objectivity: How I feel and where it fits in the bigger picture. Capability of abstract thought, yet we're material beingsSupport the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc
2021-11-2216 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #68: RP Whittaker with Sasha and Glen: Art, history, authenticity - art a kind of legitimated, time-stamping of historyTimestamps:00:34: Art as Cognition: What does it mean? Everything you look at can be a snapshot of beauty. Perceptions of art and how you value it01:45: What is Art: Breaking it down. What counts as art and what doesn't?02:35: Pricing Authenticity04:20: Robert Hughes: Art has to be different rather than good. Provoke thought vs beauty06:15: History Decides Which Art is Important08:50: Art's Shift: Relationships>Skill11:25: Personal Responsibility to Consuming Art12:10: Basquiat, the Art World and Wealth: Jay-Z, Beyonce, respect for the artist, or lack of it.15:15: Art is its Person: Imaginative Act by individuals vs commodification of art.
2021-11-1516 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #67: Hyppolite, Substance Abuse Counselor, talks with RP Whittaker about art, catharsis, and living.Timestamps:00:20: Art and Thinking: Do we think about Art enough? Counseling and therapy/catharsis through Art. 02:30: Picasso and the Coloring Book: Is any drawing art? Or are the "good" drawing art?05:00: Masterpieces and Special Elements of Cognition: What is it that these geniuses have? But wait, what cognitive powers do we as humans possess that allow us to engage in art?08:00: The Swamp Table: Is a nature-made Mona Lisa art? How does the art world engage with it?11:25: Music, Art & Feelings: Music is what Feelings sound like. Art is what Feelings look like. The capacity for pleasure and b...
2021-11-0516 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #66: "art stops us in our tracks": Rony Ortiz speaks with Philosopher WhittakerTimestamps:00:25: Art as Cognition, Ekphrasis and reactions toward imagery in the subconscious01:35: Art as a unique artifact. Cutting through the noise02:35: Modern Art, Duchamp's readymades, Art, bananas. What is Art depends on perception. What is an Artist?04:00: The Swamp Table, not an artifact, but identical to it. Is it Art? And Foucault's take on an Author and Shakespeare. 05:55: Pyrenees Cave Paintings. Art, Communication or both? 07:50: Context colors Aesthetic Experience. Cognitive knowledge bases and the link between perception and cognition10:15: Art reveals you and itself vs Art on its own as a "beautiful object"11:45: What if we can't understand th...
2021-10-2518 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 61: Jay Ortiz Bryant ParkTimestamps:00:28: Art as an Accessibility Tool: Coping, feeling feelings01:45: Philosophy's History: Hyper-rationalism. Ability to form conscious propositional thought02:45: Art isn't Always Rational: A tool that can be used and misused04:28: We're Complicated: Maze of feelings, dead-ends and exits05:47: Art & Irrationality: What moves us? Maybe not documentaries. 06:15: Parasite & Capitalism: Condemning capitalism. Connection to MarxSupport the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2021-10-1808 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #60: Complex Systems & The Social Construction of Meaning in Art: Ben Porter with Resident Philosopher Whittaker @ Bryant ParkTimestamps:00:19: Defining Art as Cognition: We're still arguing about what Art and Cognition mean03:15: Duchamp & What art can be: The social world and interconnectivity.04:15: Art is High Cognition: Cognition in the process of crafting.05:55: Modern Art, Michael Fried: Paintings don't care about you. The enclosed world in self-contained art.09:15: Art as a Crystallized Moment: Incomprehensibly complex network of social relationships that can form meaning11:25: Kant, Genius: Generative power to create a perfect fit. Bach isn't just random sound. Is genius capacity the end of the line?13:20: Identical Twins: Vastly different complexities of relationships. Beyond the pale.14:35: The Role...
2021-10-1120 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #59: Expression in Art, Hegel & Billie Eilish: Sebastian speaks with Philosopher Nicholas WhittakerTimestamps:00:20: First Impressions of Art as Cognition01:00: Art is an expression of the mind. Expressing the self02:08: Expressionists: Showing the world through painting. Why should I show you what things look like? Shouldn't I make a statement about me instead?04:05: A Move towards Existentialism: What is on the inside vs outside. 05:05: Descartes, Kant and the Exterior World: Does the world exist? How do we know? God or reason?06:45: Postmodern Times: The willingness to experiment and Billie Eilish as an Expressionist. 08:35: Art vs Language: Experimental power and how art differs. Art is able to reach people deeper....
2021-10-0410 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #58: Cognition, Humans, Animals, and Art: Participant Elaine Angelopoulos with Resident Philosopher Nicholas Whittaker @Bryant ParkTimestamps:00:35: Elaine and Nicholas tackle the definition of Art as Cognition via first impressions. "Your immediate impulse in response to a blank page, without thinking."01:30: We're in a virtual world, but we still make motions perpetually all in the idea of virtual cognition03:19: Aesthetic Cognition almost implies a design of inherited gestures and movements that were already instructed. 05:05: The standard definition of cognition: Brain activity07:00: Art as Cognition applies to embodied artistic movements. Unconscious, immediate, gut participations in art. 08:50: A right to aesthetic cognition. Abusing privilege. We don't talk about animals in aesthetic cognition. We talk about it...
2021-09-2716 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #57: Gist, Art, and Personal Interactions: Resident Philosopher Shottenkirk speaks with student Jacob SabuJacob, a pre-med student, talks about how visual gist (in the first 300 ms) is something similar to an interpersonal immediate impression - how we like something or want something or we are repelled by it. The brain has to filter out information, Jacob notes, and so evolution has allowed us to do that. He also wants to tie this to moral revulsion and brings in Jonathan Haidt's writings on the problems of people with damage to the ventral medial prefrontal cortex, who seem to have no sense of revulsion to the most basic things, like "bashing in your mother's h...
2021-09-2025 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #56 Software Design, Bodies, Virtual Reality and Affordances: John Palmer talks with talkPOPc Resident Philosopher ShottenkirkIn a rich and complex conversation, John Palmer, a software engineer and recently influenced by James Gibson's writing, discusses virtual worlds in game design and computer environments. Shottenkirk, who has noted that this relies on perception and thus is right up the alley of issues of art and cognition, listens as John discusses the important notion of affordances, a term coined by Gibson in the 50s. They exchange thoughts back and forth about the differences between affordances and symbols: symbols refer to objects, but affordances, such as in John's example of a virtual reality experience of sitting in a...
2021-09-1934 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode #55 Meditation, Art, & Cognition: Resident Philosopher Carolina Flores talks with talkPOPc participant Nicholas LigotinoNicholas starts the conversation by saying that he has recently experienced a renewed interest in making art himself, which he hadn't done since a child. He is also a regular meditator, and argues that art "is one of the best forms of meditation." As someone who is in the film industry, he says (& RP Flores agrees) that David Lynch is a great filmmaker, with Nicholas pointing out that Lynch also a meditator. They agree that the mediation practice is evident in Lynch's films. How does meditation then relate to filmmaking and to art in general?Film is a mo...
2021-09-0619 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 54: Fashion: "Buying a piece of clothing is buying someone's mind", Resident Philosopher Shottenkirk with talkPOPc participant Nicola JohnsonRP Shottenkirk and participant Nicola Johnson discuss fashion: what makes it good or bad, and why we care. "It goes back to the mind" Nicola says at the beginning of the conversation and she expounds on that point in several different ways. "It tells something about me - my financial status, my taste, my social status. " Shottenkirk notes that Nicola's shoes are amazing, well-designed boots, and points out that the designer expressed themselves and you as the wearer take on the designer's vision. Nicola partially agrees but states, "I go with the designer about 60% but then I add 40% of...
2021-08-3014 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 53: Attention, Education, and "Can art change your attitude to the world?" Resident Philosopher with talkPOPc participant Mark FriedmantalkPOPc participant Mark Friedman begins the conversation with Resident Philosopher Carolina Flores by talking about the Italian Renaissance, in particular the Ghiberti doors n Florence, which is where he spent his study-abroad year as a college student. Flores points out that when you see something in person and study it in person it is so different than seeing it also; noting that perhaps it's that one is paying attention to the thing in a different way, and thus understanding it better as you've also added in the cultural context. He then transition to Duchamp's "Urinal," and readymades, and states t...
2021-08-2315 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 52: The Stoics, the Bible, Artists, Eating People, NFT's, and Your First Period: talkPOPc Resident Philosopher Olasov speaks to talkPOPc Participant AlexIan Olasov begins the conversation with the point that philosophy can play a role in how we get out of the pandemic by building community. Alex brings in the problematic issue of mask-wearing, and how though he has self-identified as "not that courteous or respectful of others" he does see the general case for masks at least indoor. The conversation ranges widely and wildly, with Alex asking Resident Philosopher Olasov if Seneca was the basis for the Bible. Olasov notes that the Bible is complex with even varying definitions of God, and while he also admits he is not an ex...
2021-08-1525 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 51: Music - Socializing, and Thinking: talkPOPc Resident Philosopher Ian Olasov & talkPOPc Guest Participant Eva Pilay on Art as CognitionResident Philosopher Ian Olasov and talkPOPc Participant Eva Pilay discuss how art and philosophy can both allow people to re-emerge from the pandemic, allowing people to be united and socialized: objects of shared attention. But Eva points out that propaganda does the same thing; Olasov agrees and then says if it's attention to something good then it's good socializing but not so much is fascist propaganda! Sometimes, he points out, people are fans of someone just as a short-cut for communication, like saying that "I'm a fan of Drake", and then that is a pretext for conversation. They agree...
2021-08-0843 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 50: Mereology, Subjectivity, and Movies & Novels: talkPOPc Resident Philosophers Carolina Flores & Martina Botti discuss Art as CognitionIn answer to Flores' question, "What's the latest art piece that spoke to you?" Botti answers Robert Altman's Three Women, which is about conveying emotions instead of telling a story. Flores asks if movies can express pure emotion as well as music? Botti answers that movies rely so much on music, pictures, etc., that are borrowed from other art forms, and it brings up the question whether the movie creates that emotion or is it just a conglomerate from other sources? This question elicits Flores' (smiling) response: can the movie be expressing something over and above the components of...
2021-08-0114 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 49: Resident Philosopher Ian Olasov and talkPOPc Guest Participant Nayanci Lopez "Why Do We Make Art?"Nayanci Lopez, who hosts the philosophy/comedy podcast "But Why Not? A philosophy themed comedy podcast!" discusses with RP Olasov why we make art - do we do it for a purpose or is it just something that we have to do? If it's about beauty that's a bit of a problem because our notion of beauty changes over time. They agreed that although our notions of concepts are built over time in our lives, and you gradually acquire the ability to use the words, different languages do use their word for "beautiful" differently. Support the show...
2021-07-2530 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 48: talkPOPc Resident Philosopher Ian Olasov & talkPOPc Guest Participant Joshua Rosenberg converse about art as a medium for philosophy and vice versa, using Picasso's Guernica as an example and how the medium of photography can be philosophicalResident Philosopher Ian Olasov makes the point that even though the usual media you use to do philosophy - writing journal articles, etc., could be extended and one could also do philosophy through sculpture or other media. Joshua thinks of Picasso's Guernica and the reference to war - "what man can do to man". But also when we talk about "art" the term becomes expansive, but he thinks that photography can most easily be philosophical; it's trying to capture the zeitgeist of a moment. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc
2021-07-1218 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 47: "Art is Verb Not a Noun": Resident Philosopher Carolina Flores talks with talkPOPc participant Shannon RousseauShannon starts with the belief that everyone is creative and able to make art in some kind of way, which she discovered when she first took a drawing and painting class in high school. Her new desire is to act, but feels apprehensive about it because, in RP Flores' words "you're on the line". They discuss the difficulties of performance and the line between one's art and what one is doing - and one's self. They agree that making art though always opens one to not just different perspectives of life, but by forcing oneself to focus it also al...
2021-07-1129 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 46: Gaston speaks of artists' suffering during covidGaston discusses the effects of Covid on people and on art. For him, covid has made people rethink what they value and what they want in their lives. People have purged their homes, and rethought what they wanted. But covid has also had the effect on artists - lots of small producers have not been able to produce, and people now buy from ebay instead of CD Baby. The larger corporations are just taking over more. People have had to go online and the economic forces are just pilling up: a "nail-biting picture". People just buy one song at a...
2021-03-1415 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 45: Marjorie Sweeney on why America needs Group DancingSummer of 2020: talkPOPc sets up next to the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn and speechwriter Marjorie Sweeney talks about social role of art. She agrees to the obvious fact that there is great individualism in art, but her point is that there are also great social and political functions. Wanting to create is a natural human urge & all children show this, but adults are far more inhibited - we would look askance at some adult dancing down the street, whereas if a child does it we say "how cute". But public dancing and public singing is incredibly important for a s...
2021-02-2835 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 44: Joan talks about Medieval art & the political role of artJoan, a lawyer in NYC, got her undergraduate degree in art history, and here in the talkPOPc tent discusses the political role of art, comparing today's world to the art of the medieval world. Using Bronzino's chapel of Eleonora in the Palazzo Vecchio, Joan refers to the sociology of that world and how art reinforced power relations. Bronzino, who came right after Michelangelo, was like other artists of the time: driven by the politics, literature, philosophy, and religion. Art is just part of a larger system. Joan, who dislikes modern non-representative art but likes graffiti, thinks Medieval art, in he...
2021-02-1426 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 43: Justin Freeman: Art, Basketball and being BlackJustin points out that we find ourselves through thinking and we find ourselves through thinking about art. Everyone has a different interpretation - a different fingerprint. Ergo cogito sum. Subjectivity is everything here: Justin uses the examples of basketball and being black. The subjective experience is hard to hand over to someone else so that they might know what we experience. We know things by being shown things; Wittgenstein talks about this. The external activity becomes an internally known thing. It is different from representation. It's the transferring of experience.Support the showWebsite: talkpopc...
2021-01-1822 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 42: Aaron Eastburn: Art as Communicative Language and Empathy-GeneratorA software engineer and a mathematician, Aaron argues that empathy is a central part of art, both on the part of the artist and on the part of the viewer. In order for the artist to be able to convey something they have to have empathy for how other people experience the world. But he also says that sometimes "art doesn't have to conform to well-described experiences" and that the viewer can experience something over and above what the artist intended. RP Flores says that it now looks like, from their conversation, that sometimes an artwork can exceed the...
2021-01-0321 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 41: Ali Beiruti: Boxing as Art, Art as LoveAli, who is an amateur boxer, and a recent college graduate who wants to go into nursing, thinks of boxing as an art form. When Resident Philosopher Carolina Flores asks him why he thinks boxing is art, he says because "you can fall in love with it". And it must involve a practice. It is a skill-based practice. Cooking, video-games, etc., are all art forms. RP points out that his notion means that art is everywhere, and he says "yes, anything can be art." So she asks if cleaning the house can be an art, and he says, "yes...
2020-12-2716 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 40: Stephen Hanson: Galleries, Museums, and Embodied ExperienceStephen, who worked until recently at David Zwirner Gallery, discusses the differences in the audience experiences in a gallery as opposed to a museum, arguing that museums give people a greater diversity of experiences. RP Flores asks the fundamental question: why should people go to museums? Stephen points out that they are re-designing themselves and that there is a thought-shift in museums about what to give audiences, but there is the fact that when you see something in front of you on the wall it is a different sensory experience than when you see it online. They both agree...
2020-12-2025 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 39: Hoover Chung: Fashion, Gender, and Art versus Design DebateThe fashion designed Hoover Chung speaks to Resident Philosopher Carolina Flores about his interest in gender-fluid fashion. He points out that it's not just feminine clothing on men's body, but it is something that "we are all experimenting with". RP Flores asks Hoover if he thinks that because fashion is consumed and worn by people, is it the case that clothing and garments have a special potential to transgress our notions of gender? He agrees, but continues by commenting on the anti-individual conservatism that is at the heart of fashion today because marketing teams and business teams are running t...
2020-12-1328 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 38: Arion Toles: Power, Identity and the Art of Being "Unresolved"Arion references the book The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning & Black Study, by Stefano Harney and Fred Moten, which criticizes and tries to reform one's relation to the state and avoid being categorized specifically for the ends for state power. Identity is important, and Arion draws on his love of free-form jazz to make the point that we can be in the state of "being unresolved", and by staying in that unresolved state we can thus resist being categorized. He argues that the art he responds to the most is art that allows one to stay in that open-ended way. The...
2020-12-0613 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 37: Bogyi Banovich: Body/Mind - Art Makes Our Minds ManifestThe artist Bogyi Banovich explains creativity as where the body is trying to "catch up" to what the mind has wanted and designed. Bogyi discusses how art is setting up a goal and then the body tries to make the goal real, but with each physical step we re-imagine the mental goal and the two get merged: now we want this version. The important part is the material fact of trying, of making it better. He agrees that art is a kind of cognition: "it is how we think: it is constant evolution, constant progress, we are always moving...
2020-11-2917 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 36: Kaya Simmons: Acting, Vulnerability, and TruthIn a fascinating conversation about theatre and acting, the actor Kaya Simmons explains both why people act and why people go to see others act. "We act to tell stories, and we act to tell other people's stories, and to live those stories, and to live those truths and to tell those truths." The distinct quality is the actor's willingness to be vulnerable, to try things that might work or might not work. This allows the actor to bring to the audience a full-blown experience that makes sense of something in the audience-member that is already in "the back...
2020-11-2241 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 32: Beth: Covid, BLM protests, and Reclaiming Urban PlacesAs an urban planner, Beth notes how the city is now reclaiming the public arena: the visual experience of the urban experience during the times of COVID show the nature of the social dimensions that have happened: the protests, the demands to give over some of the streets back to the public both for bikes and restaurants, etc. She explains how the Barclay center protests forced the corporate entity that is the Barclay center to take down the ads and put up a MLK quote. This is interesting as Barclay is not at all like Grand Central Station w...
2020-11-1522 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 33: Will Smith: What Both Country and Rap Can Do for YouWill, another one of our Participants who just happened to be wandering by and kindly stopped into the tent and had a conversation, is from South Carolina and likes both country and rap music because they talk about their pain and pleasures, and because they can tell you about how you were already feeling, but just couldn't really talk about it. "Music puts you in the mood you already want to be in."Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-11-0818 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 34: Charles: Animals, Evolution, and the Naturalness of AestheticsCharles gives an extremely interesting viewpoint on the naturalness of aesthetics, drawing from the way ants build symmetrical ant piles, birds flying in perfect symmetry and order, and the great cognitive powers of octopus, making the argument that perhaps our divide between instinct and consciousness of behavior is false. He discusses how much is inherited, including the African aesthetic, which he argues is part of his aesthetic unconscious, something that he naturally responds to - just like he responds to our talkPOPc hat: that African king's hat! Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org In...
2020-11-0133 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 35: Steven: Theatre, Empathy, and KnowledgeAs a life-long practitioner in theatre, Steven articulates how it is that we use the journey as described by the playwright: we "exercise" our empathy, sympathy, ability to see things from another's point of view. He also discusses the interesting phenomenon of how it is a group exercise in viewing, as we respond to - either in agreement or not - the fellow audience-member's response. Theatre is practice for the "emotional work of life". Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-10-2525 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 31: Richard: Art, Civil War Monuments, and the Collective ThoughtArt makes people do this introspective work. He discusses the civil war monuments in the south (in Richmond, VA) that glorify the confederate side, and notes the emotion that the pieces evoke in people. What does that art do the people who see it and how does it resonate to the collective? Richard and RP Shottenkirk discuss how the original subjective experience of the individual, which is both derived from social constructs and further translates into other social constructs, comes into being.Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email...
2020-10-1825 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 30: Robert & The Sensory Pleasure of ArtRobert discusses the relationship of looking at art, listening to music, and eating: saying yes to those things that we like, figuring out why, and the essential part of enjoyment. As a language teacher, Robert thinks that understanding art is much like learning a language, and (as the ancients said) how similar painting and poetry are, as they are more "cryptic" than the literary arts of theatre and novels. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-10-1114 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 29: George: architecture and social usageGeorge gives an architect's view on the relationship between the social function of buildings and how it is that we aesthetically experience them as a result of their social functions.Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-10-0427 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 28: Ulysses Pizarro: Unmediated, Direct GazeUlysses discusses looking at art without the preconceptions of gallery owners or museum directors; he and Resident Philosopher Shottenkirk explore the value of bewilderment in art, feeling vulnerable in initially not knowing and the pleasure found in figuring it out. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-08-0227 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 27: Dan Durso talks about art, evolution, and social bonding.Dan Durso, artist and PhD student at the University of Illinois, talks about art as evolutionarily adapting, how it helped early humans to bond and work together as a unit, and how it allows us access into others' minds. He also discusses why it's a problem that contemporary art is without philosophical theory.Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-07-2828 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 26: Jeremy. A critic's POV. Interrogating yourself to learn, think and communicate.Jeremy Barker, a performance critic, joins Resident Philosopher Carolina Flores for the seventh and final installment of our Postmasters Gallery series. Jeremy engages in art differently from the layman. He speaks of immediate entertainment value versus the long term process of art. You either grow with the work and evolve, or you engage with art for hedonistic pleasure. Nothing wrong with either, but do you want to be entertained, or open yourself up to something else?Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-05-1038 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 25: Beth. Art in the environment. A reconfiguration of thoughtBeth Evans joins Resident Philosopher Carolina Flores for the sixth part of our postmasters series. They discuss visual art, in particular performance art as it gives more room for thought. There's a feeling in the moment that's not found in two dimensional art. You become a part of the environment and it changes the way you see the non art world. Ordinary things can become objects of art. Just requires a different gaze/pattern of attention. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-05-0317 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 24: John. A photographer's gaze. Mechanical over artistic.John McCarten joins Resident Philosopher Vincent Peluce for the fifth part of our postmasters series. John discusses photography as seeing through the viewfinder rather than seeing an artistic picture. He sees good light, a silhouette and composition rather than a creative energy. It's a mechanical process of capturing an image rather than expressing emotion. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-04-2611 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 23: Caron. Spirituality of art. Nigunim and the levels of music.Caron Shapiro joins Resident Philosopher Vincent Peluce for the fourth part of our postmasters series. They discuss Hebrew music and the spirituality behind it. Nigunim are spiritual songs that don't necessarily involve cognition. It's a "direct shot to your soul" and the more spiritual a song, the less melody and lyrics it contains. Caron also discusses how art differs from the visual to musical mediums. Visual art reflects a particular point in time and engages the senses, while musical art has something a little different. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc
2020-04-1918 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 22: Jesi. Who is art for? Creating to create, or creating for an audience?Jesi Taylor Cruz joins Resident Philosopher Vincent Peluce for the third part of our postmasters series. As they discuss art as cognition, Jesi points to the restrictive nature of creating art for others/an audience. We make choices more carefully when others will see what we do. This raises a question of authenticity. Are we more willing to take risks and artistic liberties without an audience? Is our material limited by the audience?Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-04-1227 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 21: Nicholas. Art's duality. When you create, you don't think. When you consume, you contemplate.Nicholas Accetura joins Resident Philosopher Vincent Peluce for the second part of our postmasters series. When discussing art, Nicholas denotes a significant difference in our minds. When we create art, at least for Nicholas, we are free. We don't think about things and instead engage the body to materialize art. When we consume art, we are actively thinking about what's in front of us and thus engage the mind rather than the body. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2020-04-0515 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 20: João, Art as a system of signs. A language of exception.João Enxuto joins Resident Philosopher Vincent Peluce as they kick off the first part of our Postmasters series. They discuss art as cognition, and João thinks of it as a medium for cognitive faculties, yet art is a text one reads. Art represents exceptionality, it doesn't just communicate raw facts, it goes beyond. But we still have to operate within the constraints of our world. We live in a capitalist society, and art's exceptionality is linked to perceived financial value. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: inf...
2020-03-2912 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 19: Keith: Is Art Defined by Our Reaction?Keith Moss, a management consultant from the UK, and is speaking to the Resident Philosopher Martina Botti. Keith, on a business trip, is visiting the bar and having a drink; he steps over to have a philosophical conversation. They discuss what makes something art, and after Keith suggests it is when a reaction is triggered, Martina suggests that maybe our brain doesn’t have a general definition of art and then apply that case by case. Maybe our brain sees it more in terms of having a paradigmatic case and then the new cases are compared to that. So, fo...
2020-03-0824 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 18: Gilles: Art is What Art DoesThe art historian and art critic Gilles Heno-Coe, who was the former Associate Director of Matthew Marks Gallery, speaks with Resident Philosopher Martina Botti. The conversation ranges between issues of meaning in art to the role of the market in determining that meaning. Repeatedly in their conversation, Charles Sanders Pierce appears. A nineteenth century American philosopher, Pierce was seminal in the development of pragmatism: the view that what matters is that which has actual affects. Truth is counted as truth because it is in the realm of practical effects, is what we count as real. Support the s...
2020-03-0151 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 17: Patrice, Choreography and World-BuildingThe choreographer and performance artist Patrice Miller’s conversation with RP Martina Botti (phd candidate from Columbia University) starts out with Patrice asking Martina a definition of ontology and metaphysics. What is real. And how we define the real. This sets the stage for the very interesting exchange between this artist and this philosopher, as they find common ground between art and philosophy.Patrice makes the point that art talks about itself and talks about the subject also. It sets the boundaries of the space and of the artistic practice and is a kind of “world-building”. At a slig...
2020-02-2349 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 16: Raffle-winner Destin: It Moves Us. We Call it "Art"Destin was the winner of our raffle at our fundraising event at Postmasters Gallery in October, 2019. It was a contest to raffle off a philosopher, and I, Dena Shottenkirk, ended up being the philosopher who was raffled and Destin won the slot of being the talkPOPc participant. He gives a definition of art as something that makes people feel something. He also argues that prestige items are such because they make us feel something. They move us. Something is expensive because it makes us feel something. Cars, jewelry, etc. I give this back to him and ask him if...
2020-01-1932 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 15: Boredom, Anxiety, and Being an ArtistKunning posits that the function of art is to give yourself a different kind of life-style. He says it’s a way of spending time that is not very “cost effective” - You are not thinking about how one can make money. But I then ask him: What are they getting, knowledge? He says no, novelty. But how does novelty, I ask, distinguish itself from distraction? Kunning says that art is just the way we deal with excessive time and boredom. But we can’t just kill time. That’s not, Kunning feels, acceptable in our world anymore.
2020-01-1241 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 14: Dr. Sascha Benjamin Fink + talkPOPc Resident Philosopher Andrew Rubner explore Topic #3 "Art as Cognition"In this episode from our talkPOPc event, held in our tent at Lincoln Terrace Park in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, we invite two philosophers to converse about and explore the third and current topic "Art and Cognition." Resident Philosopher Andrew Rubner from Rutgers University and Professor of Neurophilosophy, Dr. Sascha Benjamin Fink from Otto-von-Guericke University in Magdeburg, Germany tackle the distinction between something being art and something not being art—they discuss issues of intentionality, whether art can be created by accident, if the role of the artist involves the “intention to guide your attention”, and, to what degree the viewer...
2020-01-0529 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 13: Crystal: Feeling/Meaning in ArtAs a lover and maker of fashion, Crystal talks about what makes both fashion and art in general meaningful to her. The conversation at first seems to hint at her thinking that something is art because it is emotional and makes her feel a certain way, and Resident Philosopher Rubner comments on that: he points out that she seems to think art is art because it is emotional, and not cognitive. At the end, Andrew stops and reflects on the general point that the divide between thinking and feeling is perhaps artificial and the two are not mutually exclusive...
2019-12-2924 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 12: Jasmine & The ButterflyAfter weaving in a discussion of writing and what happens in writing, Jasmine relates a story about the astounding experience of sitting with a friend outside, and between them there suddenly appeared a butterfly. And that was like art. She says, “We are not really aware until we are aware.” In art you are caught up in that moment, and everything stops and stands still. It brings us into the phenomenal moment and all else drops away. Those moments are unforgettable. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkP...
2019-12-2223 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 11: Mr. Walcott and LandscapingMr. Raul Walcott, who is from Guyana and works as a landscaper, talks to Resident Philosopher Andrew Rubner about how the process of making something beautiful is a kind of art. The conversation in many ways is about the definition of art, but it also becomes a conversation about the function of art. Interestingly, it returns several times to the point, evident in landscape architecture, but perhaps more hidden in other kinds of that, that art is taking chaos and making order out of it. In Raul’s words, “You come into a situation that is not good, and then...
2019-12-1520 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 10: Erline and the Purpose of Uniform. Expression and Meaning Through ClothingErline, a seamstress from St. Vincent, discusses the importance of clothes in her life: the personal associations with clothes. As a child living in a country where most parents couldn't afford to buy dolls, she instead dressed up a stick from the Breadfruit tree and called it "breadfruit baby". It would become real. Clothes do that: they make certain realities apparant and they participate in constructing meaning. She thinks this is particularly true with uniforms.Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2019-12-0810 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 9: Flora, Art History and VoyeurismFlora, a performance art scholar, talks about the politics of the artworld's elitism (driven in large part by its role as a leisure activity), and also about the vulnerability of the artist in the moment of being public - the artist's vulnerability to the audience. It is an original and profound view on the role of voyeurism in art. She also addresses the shifting meaning in an artwork, and how over time it is the artwork itself that changes as the audience changes how it views that artwork. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org ...
2019-12-0126 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 8: Mark's Math and SurrealismMark, an investment banker (and wanderer through Lincoln Terrace Park, where this talkPOPc was held), knows about math, and he knows about the aesthetic qualities in a well-formed formula. And he likes surrealism particularly the oddity of puzzle-teasing in surrealism: what is this thing I’m looking at? For him, art is personal kind of time-travel, where someone from before is now whispering in your ear (or eye, as the case may be). And meanings shift with time.Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@tal...
2019-11-2413 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 7: Charlexia's City Murals & City ParksCharlexia connects the amazement she feels in nature – parks – and the emotion that she experiences when in front of a street mural. Nature is in her view something that allows us the freedom to let our minds wander, not going in a particular direction. It is meditation through that freedom. It can be anything you want it to be, and yet it directs you in no direction at all. In her words it is “grand and encompassing and vague”. You feel enveloped by it. She contrasts that with the “strategic” quality of murals. Support the showWebsite: ta...
2019-11-1726 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 6: Angelie: Science, Creativity, and Getting it RightThis conversation started out as a query about art and turned into a conversation about decision theory. Or more specifically about how creativity is just decision-making, much like science is. Angelie, an epidemiologist, begins with a quote from Nietzsche – that art is just leaving your mark. She talks about how children naturally want to do this. This conversation started out as a query about art and turned into a conversation about decision theory. Or more specifically about how creativity is just decision-making, much like science is. Angelie, an epidemiologist, begins with a quote from Nietzsche – that art is just leav...
2019-11-1630 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 5: Jake: The Soteriological Role of ArtThis conversation tackles head-on what art is meant to do. Jake takes issue with the recent 75 years or so of visual art, particularly since Conceptual art of the 60s or 70s. Traditionally art is, according to Jake’s view, soteriological. Now, literally, this means to give us comfort, to make us feel better. One often thinks of this in traditional kinds of religion, particularly ancient Hindu or Buddhism. The release from pain, release from anxiety, release from the wheel of life. The problem, for Jake, was that art has abandoned this goal and become part of a secular, consumer wor...
2019-11-1627 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 3: Tom and Art as Education for ChildrenThis is part of talkPOPc's #3 project: Art as CognitionAs a kindergarten teacher, Tom, in his conversation with Resident Philosopher Agule, is giving his experimental account of incorporating art into the education of children. The conversation yields a point: Art meets people where you are, instead of -- like testing -- meeting you where you should be.Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2019-08-1117 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 4: Marina and the Stained Glass ExperienceThis is part of talkPOPc's #3 project: Art as CognitionMarina has deep feelings about the kind of visual art she encounters in churches, particularly stained glass. She seems to have a dislike for the experience involved in perspectival vision where one separates the object from the background. It is an experience of the whole of the scene as a whole, and not a systematic identification of object-recognition. It is the experience of the gist.Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2019-08-1112 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 2: Marcus on Rasta, Music, and Being HappyThis is part of talkPOPc's #3 project: Art as CognitionMarcus speaks about his love of diverse kinds of music- Indian, Chinese, Sukka. This is interesting because he has looked for a common thread in music and he sees it in certain kinds as a force for good and in other kinds of music as a force for bad. This bad kind he calls "Poisoning for the mind."Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2019-08-1112 mintalkPOPc's PodcastEpisode 1: Pessy and Ultra Orthodox UpbringingThis is part of talkPOPc's #2 project: CensorshipPessy is a woman who broke out from a religious fundamentalist community, and she insisted on her right to gain her own education. She had the bravery to look back on that fundamentalist world, and analyze the censorship within that world. Support the showWebsite: talkpopc.org Instagram: @talkpopc Email: info@talkPOPc.org
2019-08-1122 min