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Laura J. Lukitsch

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That Sounds Interesting
That Sounds Interesting16. Laura Lukitsch, FilmmakerPosted  30 Nov 2021My guest today is Laura Lukitsch a filmmaker, podcaster and writer who has made a number of documentaries, has a long running podcast and has created art installations and other creative projects. She is also writing a number of  books. She lived in San Francisco before moving to Berlin several years ago.
2022-05-1400 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentCleopatra Kambugu, seeds of change“This is what I am, do you read me?” Cleopatra Kambugu is a biologist, activist and transgender film personality. Her wish to understand her gender expression led her to study genetics and molecular biology in university and later undergo surgery to help others decode what she felt she already was. In today’s episode we talk about Cleopatra’s resilience, her experience in Uganda during the threats that came in 2013 with the Anti-Homosexual Act, her participation in the award-winning documentary, Pearl of Africa, and her ideas about change, that change is a marathon, we are planting seeds take time to grow...
2022-02-1447 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentCleopatra Kambugu, seeds of change Season 4: Episode 5 Human rights activist Cleapatra Kambugu talks about giving voice to the minoritized, staying resilient, and planting seeds of change.   This season I’m talking about how empathy and storytelling can help bridge divides. Today I am in conversation with Cleopatra Kambugu, a biologist, activist and transgender film personality. Cleopatra’s wish to better understand her gender expression led her to study genetics and molecular biology in university and later undergo surgery to help others decode what she already was. As she says, “This is what I am, do you rea...
2022-02-1247 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentTom Kellner, translating culture Season 4: Episode 4 A conversation with Tom Kellner about the impact of translating culture in literature   Today I am in conversation with Tom Kellner, a post-doctoral researcher at the Martin Luther Universität in Halle, Germany. Her research examines German translations of contemporary Israeli literature from 1989-2019. One of her interests is the notion of translatability. We met in the fall heading to an exhibition at Kuba Kultur Bahnhof and started talking about translation. I became interested in Tom’s research and how culture crosses borders through the books that we read...
2022-01-201h 00This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentTom Kellner, translating cultureCan books from one culture bring empathy to people from very different backgrounds and experiences? Post-doctoral research Tom Kellner is researching the translatability of Israeli literature being published in Germany. In this episode we speak about the process of understanding what books sell, why they sell, and the possible reasons for which works readers read. What readers understand and if empathy increased from reading the stories from another culture is more difficult to determine. Kellner shares a different definition of empathy, one from philosopher Emmanuel Levinus, that empathy is accepting that people are different and we do not understand them...
2022-01-201h 00This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMichelle M. Wright, constructing inclusion Season 4: Episode 3 Michelle M. Wright looks at how blackness is constructed in our use of language.   This season I am talking to academics, artists and changemakers about empathy, storytelling and bridging divides. Today I am in conversation with Michelle M. Wright who looks at the way blackness is constructed in the way we use language. I first saw Michelle in 2020 at the Transmediale symposium in Berlin where she spoke about the difficulty of finding information about the history of black people living in Europe because the body of writing that i...
2021-11-211h 03This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMichelle M Wright, constructing inclusionBiases in search engines are not only an issue of algorithms, our bias is built into the beliefs we have about the world. And our beliefs are influenced by the stories we absorb through our culture and more and more the information we find online. Today I’m speaking with Michelle M. Wright, distinguished professor or literature and Emery College. She has been researching how blackness is constructed through the stories that are told in the public sphere. Today we talk about new stories coming into the culture and ways we can strive to be more inclusive when telling ou...
2021-11-211h 03This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentTRAILER: Season 4, Empathy, Storytelling & Bridging DividesThis season I’m in conversation with academics, artists and changemakers about empathy, storytelling and bridging divides. We will be talking about storytelling as it relates to economics, design, literature and beyond. We are all in the process of re-imaging our world. Can empathy help us be more inclusive, kind, compassionate and effective storytellers for change?
2021-10-2502 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentDean Dori Tunstall, designing for diversity Season 4: Episode 2 Design anthropologist and design dean Dori Tunstall shares her experience decolonizing the design curriculum.    This season I am talking to academics, artists and changemakers about empathy, storytelling and bridging divides. Inclusion and equity don’t just happen because it is part of your mission statement. Creating a space where all members feel a sense of belonging is a process. Today I am in conversation with Dori Tunstall who has been working in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion and decolonization. Dori Tunstall is Dean of D...
2021-10-211h 03This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentDean Dori Tunstall, designing for diversityInclusion and equity don’t just happen because it is part of your mission statement. Creating a space where all members feel a sense of belonging is a process. And today I am in conversation with Dori Tunstall who has been working in the area of diversity, equity, inclusion and decolonization. Dori Tunstall is Dean of Design at Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto, Canada. Our conversation stretches from language of inclusion to the insights that mushrooms and design thinking bring to our understanding of our fundamental interconnectedness.
2021-10-211h 03This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentDella Duncan, Reimagining Economcis Season 4: Episode 1 A conversation with Della Duncan about moving to an economic system based on human and planetary flourishing.   Today I am conversation with renegade economist and Right Livelihood coach, Della Duncan. Della is the founder and co-host of the Upstream Podcast where she and co-host Robert Raymond explore alternative approaches to current economic paradigms, inviting listeners to imagine what a sustainable, just and democratic economy might look like. We covered a lot of ground in our conversation starting with Della’s years long journey to und...
2021-10-061h 02This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentDella Duncan, Reimagining EconomicsWhat is needed to create an economic system that supports human and planetary flourishing? Renegade Economist Della Duncan speaks about what is needed, deeper connection with our values. Della is founder and co-host of the Upstream Podcast where she invites listeners to imagine what a sustainable, just and democratic economy might look like. In our conversation Della shares the journey she took to reimagining economics, and shares ways we can move from consumption to connection.
2021-10-061h 02This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMischa Leinkauf, at the border Season 3: Episode 14 Photo © Mischa Leinkauf / alexander levy / VG Bild-Kunst A conversation with Berlin image maker (filmmaker, installation artist and photographer) Mischa Leinkauf about performative interventions at the border.   This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. I first saw Mischa’s work at Floating University in Berlin where his installation video work, Fiction for a Non-Entry was being screened. I was interested in speaking to Mischa because of his work focusing on borders, the artificiality of national borders and on the other side the space of po...
2021-09-161h 15This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMisha Leinkauf, at the borderToday I’m talking to filmmaker, installation artist and photographer Mischa Leinkauf whose work explores the borders, borders of buildings, bridges, public space, laws, and nation states. This season I’ve been talking to artists about their first solo show. Many of his works are performative interventions and the definition of a show is somewhat nebulous. Who sees the work, when they see the work, do they even know it is a work?
2021-09-161h 15This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentWild Anima, ecology of emotions Season 3: Episode 13 Sound artist Wild Anima (Alex Alexopoulos) speaks about the ecology of emotion. This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. Today I am conversation with musician and sound artist Wild Anima, or Alex Alexopoulos.  We speak about her work, and the concept she has been developing called the Ecology of Emotions, a term she coined with her friend Lush Agave. It is a practice of mending the broken parts through our inner process of photosynthesis. Her sound work and artistic practice c...
2021-08-1454 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentWild Anima, the ecology of emotionsThe ecology of emotions is a concept Wild Anima, musician and sound artist Alex Alexopolous has been developing. It is a practice of mending the broken parts through our inner process of photosynthesis. Her sound work and artistic practice center around the heart and healing through nature, meditation and love. Our conversation explores these connections, moving beyond the inner voice and acute shyness, and the importance of keeping a creative process.
2021-08-1454 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentArtist Residency Part 4, Time & Possibilities Season 3: Episode 12 Part 4 of the artist residency at Kuba Kulturbahnhof. Time & Possibility   This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. This is the fourth episode in a mini-series set at the lovely Kuba Residency, located at the Kuba Kulturbahnhof at the north western edge of Brandenburg, two and a half hours outside of Berlin.   Today we talk about time and possibility, the importance of time for the artistic process and reflections on possible structures for collaborating beyond extraction. ...
2021-08-0857 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentArtist Residency, Time & PossibilitiesTime and a sense of new possibilities are essential for the creative process. Today’s episode was recorded during the fourth week of my artist residency. I speak with the co-creators of KuBa Kulturabahnhof where I’ve been in residence for a month about the artistic process and the gifts of the residency sharing space with the villages of Klien Warnow and beyond. I also speak with the artistic team of Hyenaz, Kathryn Fischer and Adrienne Teicher about their week of research on the topic of extraction, capitalism and the arts.
2021-08-0857 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentArtist Residency Part 3, Changing Season 3: Episode 11 Artists Jamila Barakat and Laura J. Lukitsch speak about the unfolding of their artist residency.   Changing   This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. This is the third episode in a mini-series set at the lovely Kuba Residency, located at the Kuba Kulturbahnhof at the north western edge of Brandenburg, two and a half hours outside of Berlin. This week painter Jamila Barakat and video/audio artist Laura J. Lukitsch speak about how their work has developed during the th...
2021-07-2650 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentArtist Residency Pt 3, ChangingThis week painter Jamila Barakat and video/audio artist Laura J. Lukitsch speak about how their work has developed during the three weeks at the artist residency at KuBa Kulturbahnhof. Jamila shares how she was able to break through her previous painting style to find a new dialect to her painting language and Laura found a way to incorporate augmented audio into her installation. The conversation documents their lessons learned both in terms of their work and their way of thinking about the inner critic. And they share reminders of methods they use to reconnect to their creative flow...
2021-07-2650 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentArtist Residency Part 2, Unfolding Season 3: Episode 10 Artists Jamila Barakat and Laura J. Lukitsch speak about the unfolding of their artist residency.   Unfolding    This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. This is the second episode in a mini-series set at the lovely Kuba Residency, located at the Kuba Kulturbahnhof at the north western edge of Brandenburg, two and a half hours outside of Berlin. Today I am in conversation with painter Jamila Barakat. We speak about the creative process and the fear of being a fra...
2021-07-1738 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentArtist Residency Part 2, Jamila Barakat & Laura J. LukitschThe creative process is not a straight line. This week painter Jamila Barakat and video/audio artist Laura J. Lukitsch share reflections on their creative process during their artist residency at KuBa Kulturbahnhof. The conversation covers feeling like a fraud, thoughts on beauty and disgust and a discussion on finding balance between pleasant and controversial material.
2021-07-1738 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentArtists Jamila Barakat and Laura J. Lukitsch speak about their first artist residency. Season 3: Episode 9 Artists Jamila Barakat and Laura J. Lukitsch speak about their first artist residency.   Expectations   This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. Over the next several episodes I’ll be sharing reflections on my first artist residency at the lovely Kuba Residency, located at the Kuba Kulturtbahnhof at the north western edge of Brandenburg, two and a half hours outside of Berlin. Today I am in conversation with Jamila Barakat who is a painter and student at UDK, the Univ...
2021-07-101h 00This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentArtist Residnency Pt 1, ExpectationsHave you been curious about what happens at an artist residency? Painter Jamila Barakat and video/audio artist Laura J. Lukitsch share their reflections on their first artist residency. They talk about the creative process, embracing happiness and failure, self-esteem, past projects and what they want to accomplish during their weeks at the Kuba Kulturbahnhof, 2.5 hours outside of Berlin, Germany
2021-07-101h 00Differently
DifferentlyFinding Your Voice with Laura LukitschSend Carla a message!Do you ever struggle to find your voice?  In this episode, Laura invites us to explore our own voice, the challenges we face in speaking up, and the importance of finding our own voice whether it is in the spoken or written word.Laura is a story consultant, artist and filmmaker helping artists and purpose-driven entrepreneurs find their voice and share their work.   She naturally invites us to take our own inquiry into the relationship we have with our voice and why our voice is important.
2021-06-2436 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentKatze Shaw, buried treasure Season 3: Episode 8 Chinese artist and curator Katze Shaw talks about her work, collecting memories across time.   This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. I met Katze in 2020 and saw her audio work, Personal Memory in 1989. She had interviewed Chinese people of different ages and backgrounds about their memory of 1989. Her work reminded me of my recent audio work, and the power of the human voice and human memory. We met up in her publishing house where she and her creative partner create handmade books. T...
2021-04-1659 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentKatze Shaw, buried treasureKatze is a Chinese artist and curator living in Berlin. In today’s conversation, we travel from a buried treasure in a school ground in China to marching down the streets of Berlin while remembering the events of 1989 in both countries. Her work is a deep meditation on freedom and the forms it takes across the spectrum of political and personal circumstances. This is a question the continues to be relevant across space and time. 
2021-04-1659 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentShasta Ellenbogen, creating space Season 3: Episode 7 Musician Shasta Ellenbogen talks about changing the audience for classical music.   This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. Shasta Ellenbogen is a musician, violist and founder of Classical Sundays. I met Shasta in the summer of 2020 at a socially distanced Classical Sunday’s concert at gallery Wiesenberg, in Wedding, Berlin. Shasta has a vision for growing a new audience for classical music. Her approach is experimental, cross cultural, and successful as Classical Sunday’s has reached over 1,000 people and expanded to pl...
2021-02-1157 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentShasta Ellenbogen, creating spaceShasta Ellenbogen is a musician, violist and founder of Classical Sundays, a classical music series bringing new audiences to the classical music genre through an innovative way of curating concerts in Berlin, Germany. In today’s conversation, we talk about the culture of classical music, finding the strength to do one’s own thing, the challenges of leadership across cultures, and Shasta’s hope for the future of Classical Music.
2021-02-1158 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentGabi Schaffner, recording in the field Season 3: Episode 6 Radio producer Gabi Schaffner talks about recording in the field.   This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. Gabi Schaffner’s audio and radio works push the boundaries of the formats she works in. She has created vinyl albums based on music she composes from field recordings, and stretched the scope of live radio, from her collaborations, inviting artists to perform live in the garden. This conversation will give you a window into Gabi’s creative process and the imagination that infus...
2021-01-2141 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentGabi Schaffner, recording in the fieldRadio Producer and artist Gabi Schaffner has been creating audio experiences in the realm of field recording music fusions and collaborative garden based radio programs. In our conversation, Gabi shared insights into her artistic trajectory and the links between her work and her view of the worlds of nature and culture.
2021-01-2141 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMaria Thereza Alves, colonial echoes Season 3: Episode 5 Artist Maria Thereza Alves’ work bears witness as she investigates particular localities and their colonial echoes.   This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. Brazilian born artist Maria Thereza Alves has been investigating the histories and circumstances of particular locations to bear witness to stories that have been silenced. I first experienced her work at the Botanical Gardens in Berlin where she collaborated with Columbian sound artist Lucrecia Dalt at the CTM sound arts festival, back in February 2020. That work, You Will Go Awa...
2021-01-1343 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMaria Thereza Alves: bearing witnessArtist Maria Thereza Alves has been investigating the histories and circumstances of particular locations to bear witness to stories that have been silenced. Her work makes visible the impacts of an economic practice that fails to view nature as alive: from documenting the intercontinental transportation of seeds to the bringing to life a singular dying mountain in Brazil. In our conversation, we spoke about her placed-based artistic process and how it has evolved after moving to Berlin.
2021-01-1343 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentJennifer Bennett, boundaries and otherness Season 3: Episode 4 Visual Artist and Author Jennifer Bennett talks about boundaries and otherness. This season I am talking to artists and thinker about the art of listening. Jennifer Bennett works with clay, photography, performance and words. I met Jennifer at a reading of her book, SAVE, which is a genre breaking book that documents her travels from Paris to Copenhagen, Argentina, Chile, Mexico and the US as she examined the ideas of boundaries, otherness, the ways society organizes itself, be it focusing on inclusion or exclusion. Jennifer’s look at boundaries was bo...
2020-12-1156 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentJennifer Bennett, boundaries and othernessVisual artist and author Jennifer Bennett’s work explores boundaries and otherness, diversity and exclusion. In our conversation, we talked about her book, SAVE, which documents her travels since 2010 from Paris to Mexico and the US. In discussing her first work she also talks about the role of privilege in the ability to become an artist. Our conversation traversed from soil and free speech and a wide range of topics in between.
2020-12-1156 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentJens-Uwe Dyffort, architecting acoustics in space Season 3: Episode 3 Sound Artist Jens-Uwe Dyffort talks about architecting acoustic space.   Sound artist Jens-Uwe Dyffort listens to the architecture of space and along with artist Roswitha von den Driesch, creates spatial audio installations and environmental audio work for galleries and public spaces. The work, through a web of sound that bounces, moves, swells, and circles, brings a new awareness to the places we occupy. In February we met up and spoke about the process of creating spacial audio work. This season I am talking to artists about their first solo. O...
2020-04-1639 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentJens-Uwe Dyffort, architecting acoustics in spaceSound artist Jens-Uwe Dyffort listens to the architecture of space and along with artist Roswitha von den Driesch, creates spatial audio installations and environmental audio work for galleries and public spaces. The work, through a web of sound that bounces, moves, swells, and circles, brings a new awareness to the places we occupy. In February we met up and spoke about the process of creating spacial audio work.
2020-04-1639 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMikala Hyldig Dal, art and activism Season 3: Episode 2 Artist Mikala Hydig Dal housing politics and radical optimism.   Cultural worker, artist, curator and author Mikala Hyldig Dal’s work embodies a deep examination of current global political struggles and echo a call for social justice. Mikala’s first solo, Who’s Afraid, looked at ISIS propaganda videos of 2014 and their relation to iconoclasm, bodies and political role plays. Today she employs radical optimism combined with realism to engage with complex issues like housing politics and gentrification, where increasingly one person’s home is another person’s windfall...
2020-04-0356 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMikala Hyldig Dal: art and activismCultural worker, artist, curator and author Mikala Hyldig Dal today employs radical optimism combined with realism to engage with complex issues like housing in the time of gentrification. Mikala’s first solo, Who’s Afraid, looked at ISIS videos and political role plays. We talk about her work, influences, and utopian dreams.
2020-04-0356 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentTone Haldrup Lorenzen, on pushing forwardMany of us have a voice in our head that keeps us for doing our work. Tone Haldrup Lorenzen, a performance artist, director and co-founder of the feminist theater, had such a voice. This season I am talking to artists about their first solo show. Tone shares about overcoming this destructive voice and pushing forward, performing her first solo and directing her first show and learning from the bumps along the way.
2020-03-1945 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentTone Haldrup Lorenzen, on the creative process Season 3: Episode 1 Performance Artist Tone Haldrup Lorenzen talks about her first solo and overcoming the voice in her head.   Many of us have a voice in our head that keeps us from doing our work. Tone Haldrup Lorenzen, a performance artist, director and co-founder of the feminist theater, had such a voice. This season I am talking to artists about their first solo show. Tone shares about overcoming this destructive voice and pushing forward, performing her first solo and shortly after that directing her first theater productions. She shares about l...
2020-03-1845 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentTrailer: Season 3, The First SoloThis season I’m in conversations with artists about their first solo show, the risks taken, lessons learned, as well as the curiosity and commitment it takes to continue exploring, creating and communicating. Over the course of 2020, I'll be talking to 10 international artists living in or exhibiting in Berlin, Germany.
2020-03-1802 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentSeason 2 TrailerThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident, is a podcast about the creative process, storytelling and social change. Each season I share conversations with international artists, thinkers and changemakers about their work and creative process with the hopes of inspiring you to share your own stories and ideas for making change. This season, I spoke with 10 artists and thinkers about the art of listening. Check out Season 2 and hear from dancers, musicians, a radio host, writer, artists, and more.
2020-03-1102 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an Accidentbi’bak, listening to transnational stories Season 2: Episode 10 Migration Stories, by Berlin-based bi’bak   This season I am talking to artists and thinkers about the art of listening. In this episode, we talk about research-based artistic practice with two members of the bi’bak creative team who produced the exhibition, Bitter Things, Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families. Malve Lippman is the co-founder and co-artistic director of bi’back, Malve was responsible for the exhibition design and along with bi’bak’s co-founder and husband Can Sungu conceived of the project and together, they were respon...
2019-12-1233 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMigration Stories from bi'bakToday I’m talking about research-based artistic practice with two members of the bi’bak creative team who co-produced the exhibition, Bitter Things, Narratives and Memories of Transnational Families (along with co-artistic director, Can Sungu). In today’s episode, we speak about the process of finding a story. How a series of conversations can lead to an idea that inspires a team to spend two years crossing Europe and many layers of legal and personal research to learn about a part of the migration story that has had little academic attention but a lot of representation in popular culture.
2019-12-1233 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentGió Di Sera, on listening to youth Season 2: Episode 9 Artista Totale Giò Di Sera talks about listening to youth.   This season I am talking to artists and thinkers about the art of listening. Today I’m talking to Italian artist, musician, radio host and founder of StreetUniverCity, Giò De Sera, also known as, Don Rispetto. Giò’s radio program, Radio Kanaka International and StreetUniverCity work focuses on bringing context and history of hip hop to the youth of Kreuzberg.The themes he chooses to highlight reflect the needs of that community and their way of experien...
2019-11-2837 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentArtist Gió Di SeraToday I’m talking to Italian artist, musician, radio host and founder of StreetUniverCity, Giò De Sera, also known as, Don Rispetto. Giò’s radio and StreetUniverCity work focuses on bringing context and history of hip hop to the youth of Kreuzberg. The themes he chooses to highlight reflect the needs of that community and their way of experiencing the world. In today’s episode Gió shares some difficult subjects including the impact of bullying/ or mobbing on the community as well as gentrification and the growth of consumer culture. He also talks about teaching the youth about empowerment and the i...
2019-11-2837 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMathilde Ramadier, on listening to the natural world Season 2: Episode 8 Author, Artist Mathilde Ramadier on the power of observation and the importance of listening to the natural world   Today I’m talking to French author and artist Mathilde Ramadier about the power of observation and the importance of listening to nature. Mathilde has written about work, sexism and most recently deep ecology. The foundation of much of her writing is taking time to listen to being aware of what is happening around us. In France, a defining moment for Mathilde as well as hundreds of French people has been the resi...
2019-11-1432 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentWriter Mathilde Ramadier on the power of observation and importance of listening to the natural worldToday I’m talking to French author and artist Mathilde Ramadier about the power of observation and the importance of listening to nature. Mathilde has written about work, sexism and most recently deep ecology. The foundation of much of her writing is taking time to be aware of what is happening around us. In France, a defining moment for Mathilde as well as hundreds of French people has been the resignation of the Environmental Minister, Nicolas Hulot, in September 2018, over the lack of power of the government to fight lobbyist interests. Our conversation traversed the creative process, Freud’s asse...
2019-11-1432 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMarion Ruault, listening and finding balance Season 2: Episode 7 Musician Marion Ruault talks about improvisation and listening to the self and others.   This season I am talking to artists and thinkers about the art of listening. In this episode I’m talking to French musician, improviser and composer, Marion Ruault. While she has studied jazz, classical and many forms of world music and performed in various collaborations with around Europe, during her two years living in Berlin, Marion focused on expanding her improvisational practices. We spoke about the freedom and responsibility that comes with playing imp...
2019-10-3123 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMusician Marion RuaultToday I’m talking to French musician, improviser and composer, Marion Ruault. While she has studied jazz, classical and many forms of world music and performed in various collaborations around Europe, during her two years living in Berlin, Marion focused on expanding her improvisational practices. We spoke about the freedom and responsibility that comes with playing improvised music about the need to find a balance between one’s impulses on what’s happening in the group. Listening is an important part of this practice. We also spoke about her first solo performance and the challenge of mak...
2019-10-3123 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentNoise Artist Mathieu SylvestreIn this episode, I talk to French noise artist, Mathieu Sylvestre about listening.  As an artist, he plays live experimental works and sometimes composes for film and theater. When composing for others, he speaks about the challenge of translating what is heard and felt by one person to another. He suggests that the act of hearing reveals the personality behind the ear. This episode was recorded outside in Volkspark Friedrichshain in Berlin.
2019-10-1633 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMathieu Sylvestre, the personality behind the ear Season 2: Episode 6 Noise Artist Mathieu Sylvestre talks about listening in art and life.   In this episode I talk to French noise artist, Mathieu Sylvestre about listening.  As an artist he plays live experimental works and sometimes composes for film and theater. When composing for others, he speaks about the challenge of translating what is heard and felt by one person to another. He suggests that the act of hearing reveals the personality behind the ear. This episode was recorded outside in Volkspark Friedrichshain in Berlin.  When you close your eyes and...
2019-10-1033 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentArtist Karine BonnevalIn the spring of 2019 I attended a Tree Sound Walk organized by French artist Karine Bonneval, who works on the topic of human-plant relations. She was as artist-in-residence at the Berlin gallery, Gru_nd with her project, De’jardiner, or De-Gardening. We spoke about her work in finding ways to help humans share empathy with plants. As Karine states, plants don’t have eyes or ears but they can feel and see and listen. They just use other tools. Many of her works involve creating ways to bring out the sounds of plants so we as humans can listen to p...
2019-10-0130 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentKarine Bonneval, listening to plants Season 2: Episode 5 Artist Karine Bonneval talks about listening to plants.   This season I am talking to artists and thinkers about the art of listening. In the spring of 2019 I attended a Tree Sound Walk organized by French artist Karine Bonneval, who works on the topic of human-plant relations. She was as artist in residence at the Berlin gallery, Gru_nd with her project, Dé jardiner, or De-Gardening. We spoke about her work in finding ways to help humans share empathy with plants. As Karine states, plants don’t have...
2019-10-0130 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMusician Pamela Z   In this episode I spoke with composer, performer, and media artist Pamela Z, about her process of collecting sounds to create compositions, using samples from the environment, interviews and her own voice. Her practice has shown her that observing is an active role. We spoke about how a work is not truly finished until an audience has heard it.
2019-09-1918 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentPamela Z, on active listening Season 2: Episode 4 Season 2: Episode 4 Musician Pamela Z talks about listening   In this episode I spoke with composer, performer, and media artist Pamela Z, about her process of collecting sounds to create compositions, using samples from the environment, interviews and her own voice. Her practice has shown her that observing is an active role. We spoke about how a work is not truly finished until an audience has heard it. Usually, you think of an observation in a sense of a person who sits quietly in the corner and th...
2019-09-1918 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentDancer Márcio CanabarroIn winter 2018 I spoke dancer Márcio Kerber Canabarro about listening as a kinetic practice. Beyond dance, he sees listening to the self as a way of understanding others better.
2019-09-0517 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMárcio Kerber Canabarro, listening to the self Season 2: Episode 3 Season 2: Episode 3 Dancer Márcio Kerber Canabarro talks about listening   This season I am talking to artists and thinkers about the art of listening. In winter 2018 I spoke dancer Márcio Kerber Canabarro about listening as a kinetic practice. Beyond dance, he sees listening to the self as a way of understanding others better.  I think what you’re able to listen to shapes your experience and shapes how you perceive things. So ultimately shape how you deal with them and how you translate them. – Márcio K...
2019-09-0517 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentChoreographer Sara Shelton MannThis season I am talking to artists and thinkers about the art of listening. In winter 2018 I spoke to choreographer and performer, Sara Shelton Mann In the winter of 2018, Sara Shelton Mann brought Echo/Listening Through Walls to Dock 11 in Berlin, Germany, in collaboration with Anya Cloud and Jesse Zaritt, and composer Pamela Z. For the podcast, we spoke about listening as a full-body experience. As a dancer, listening with the body is natural but a car accident reduced Sara’s hearing and required her to find other ways of listening. She shares how she listens into space, listens to...
2019-08-2212 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentSara Shelton Mann, listening to the field Season 2: Episode 2 Choreographer Sara Shelton Mann talks about listening.   This season I am talking to artists and thinkers about the art of listening. In winter 2018 I spoke to choreographer and performer, Sara Shelton Mann In the winter of 2018, Sara Shelton Mann brought Echo/Listening Through Walls to Dock 11 in Berlin, Germany, in collaboration with Anya Cloud and Jesse Zaritt, and composer Pamela Z. For the podcast, we spoke about listening as a full-body experience. As a dancer, listening with the body is natural but a car accident r...
2019-08-2212 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentChoreographer Yannis Adoniou This season I am talking to artists and thinkers about the art of listening. In winter 2018 I spoke dancer and choreographer Yannis Adoniou about his work and how listening influences his practice. He spoke about the importance of making conscious choices of what we listen to and how we give feedback.
2019-08-0821 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentYannis Adoniou, choreographing the ear Season 2: Episode 1 Choreographer Yannis Adoniou talks about listening   This season I am talking to artists and thinkers about the art of listening. In winter 2018 I spoke dancer and choreographer Yannis Adoniou about his work and how listening influences his practice. He spoke about the importance of making conscious choices of what we listen to and how we give feedback. I’m very conscious to what I’m allowing myself to listen to. There are many things that I don’t want to listen to because through the channel of listening things...
2019-08-0821 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentEmbracing Change, IOBYBuilding empathy is a fundamental part of the design thinking process, and that often takes place through direct conversations. IOBY’s has developed an innovative way of pairing a tech-based crowdfunding platform with on the ground organizing to foster social change one small campaign at a time. In this episode, I spoke with Katie Lorah, Director of Communications and Creative Strategy about testing ideas and creating prototypes within a community. Sometimes the simplest ideas, including the use of zip ties or lawnmowers, have the biggest impacts.
2017-09-0118 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentIOBY, Embracing change Season 1: Episode 10 Katie Lorah, IOBY, talks about embracing change.   A fundamental part of the design thinking process is to build empathy with your audience and discover their needs through direct conversations. IOBY’s model for social change embraces that form the core of everything they do. They have developed an innovative way of pairing a tech-based crowdfunding platform with on the ground organizing to foster social change one small campaign at a time. And the stories that help raise funds are mostly shared not online, but offline, one con...
2017-09-0118 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentEmilia Gutierrez, Amnesty International USA, Staying positive Season 1: Episode 9 Emilia Gutierrez, talks about staying positive in tough times   When working on social change issues, how do we stay positive?  That is the question I asked Emilia Gutierrez, Director of Online Engagement at Amnesty International USA. Emilia started her journey in social change work on the campaign trail for Obama and has experience working in various social change organizations that leverage new ways of communicating with supporters and influences, including Change.org. One of her tests for a good story is, does her mother understand the me...
2017-08-1621 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentStaying Positive | Emilia Gutierrez, Amnesty International USA When working on social change issues, how do we stay positive? That is a question I asked EMILIA Gutierrez, Director of Online Engagement at Amnesty International USA. Emilia started her journey in social change work on the campaign trail for Obama and has experience working in new media. For all that tech promises, one of her best tests for a good story is if her mother understands the message. Whether she is asking her mother or supporters, having empathy for the audience is key to the success of her storytelling approach. I think you’ll find that Emilia’s ener...
2017-08-1621 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentStephanie Romig, Designing narratives Season 1: Episode 8 Stephanie Romig talks about Designing Narratives Stephanie Romig is a designer specializing in narrative design – including designing solutions for public spaces and public buildings. Narrative design involves a process of asking the people who will be using the building or place questions that uncover their motivations.  This then informs the design solutions. In addition to being a designer of places, Stephanie, who is a mother of two, decided to create a social enterprise to help new mothers, using her love of storytelling and asking questions.  In this episode, she...
2017-08-0311 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentDesigning Narratives, Stephanie RomigIn this episode, I speak to Stephanie Romig, a designer and social entrepreneur. As a designer, she leverages narrative design to create solutions for public spaces. We speak about the use of questions as a valuable but often overlooked tool for building stories that bridge different stakeholders. In addition to being a designer of places, created Goodmakes, where mothers come to learn fabric design while sharing stories of motherhood. There is magic in asking questions and listening deeply, solidarity in story, and out of this something truly beautiful can be birthed.
2017-08-0311 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentJP Amaral, Transforming a city by bike Season 1: Episode 7 JP Amaral talks about Transforming a City, one story at a time In a short ten years, the perception of biking in the Brazilian city of São Paulo went from impossible to obvious.  Streets went from forbidding cycling to welcoming them with new bike lanes and a bike-sharing program. In today’s program, I talk to JP Amaral who has been on the front lines of bike activism throughout this transformation.  He joined critical mass rides back in 2007, where large numbers of cyclists took to the streets one evening each...
2017-07-2130 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentTransforming a City, JP Amaral   In this episode, I speak to bike activist JP Amaral about narratives that change a city. When JP fell in love with biking in 2007, it was said that biking in Sao Paolo was impossible. By 2017, Sao Paolo had over 74 miles of bike lanes and a bike sharing program with over 1,000 bikes. I spoke to JP about this transformation. In 2010 he helped form Bike Anjo, bike angle, helping people new to cycling. JP shares strategies he used for building a pro cycling narrative, including storytelling formulas, the importance of collaborations and how to build momentum across political tenures.
2017-07-2130 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentSF Urban Film Fest, Exploring new urban narratives Season 1: Episode 6 Fay Darmawi talks about Exploring Urban Narratives   Fay Darmawi, was inspired to start the SF Urban Film Fest after she saw the lack of public outcry for the elimination of the Redevelopment Agency, an agency in California that helped to finance affordable housing in cities that were increasingly becoming unaffordable for anyone but the wealthy.  At the time, Fay had been working in affordable housing finance for 20 years and could see the imminent challenges the dissolution of this funding source would produce. In this episode Fay talks about sto...
2017-07-0619 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentExploring New Urban Narratives, SF Urban Film Fest     In today’s episode Fay Darmawi, founder of the San Francisco Urban Film Fest, talks about the power storytelling to humanize policy work. Fay had been working in affordable housing finance for twenty years when the program supporting affordable housing financing was suddenly cut without any public outcry. She decided to explore ways of promoting public narratives around specialized topics like urban planning with both her film festival and activist documentary series, Society’s Soul.
2017-07-0619 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentBowman School, Using video for fundraising Season 1: Episode 5 Chiara Sani talks about Using Video for Fundraising When looking to raise $10 million dollars for a capital campaign, Bowman School Director of Development, Chiara Sani, turned turned to video as a tool for telling the story of why not only this expansion but their approach to education was so important for the next generations. In this episode Chiara shares her lessons learned, both challenges and successes, of creating her first videos. Listen Here   Chiara wears many hats as development director as she is raising funds for th...
2017-06-2215 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentUsing Video for Fundraising, Bowman SchoolAs Development Director of a California Montessori school, Chiara Sani is responsible for raising millions of dollars. She decided to use video as part of their fundraising communications strategy. It was her first time working with video and the process involved both unexpected bumps and rewards. In today’s episode, we’ll hear about this journey. We’ll also hear Chiara’s reason for choosing video as a tool.
2017-06-2215 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentSwordfish, the importance of planning Season 1: Episode 4 Matt Silverman and Kathryn Bodle talk about storytelling and the importance of planning   No matter what size of client, whether doing live action video or animation – a successful project is based on a powerful story.  The process of uncovering that story and conceptualizing the approach for telling that story, is the same. Today Matt Silverman, Executive Creative Director of Swordfish, and Kathryn Bodle, Executive Producer, share their processes and best practices for story development that can be used for commercial projects as well as social change messaging. ...
2017-06-0819 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentThe Importance of Planning, Swordfish     In today’s episode, we talk about key ingredients for successful design projects. I speak with Matt Silverman, Executive Creative Director and founder of the motion design studio Swordfish, and Kathryn Bodle, Executive Producer. They share that no matter the size of client, successful projects are based on having a powerful story and taking the time to plan. Matt and Kathryn share best practices for both story development and planning.  
2017-06-0819 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentSF Beautiful, Video for good Season 1: Episode 3 Darcy Brown and Peter Clarke, SF Beautiful, talk about using documentary video for good In the 1930s, the Farm Security Administration began using documentary photography as a tool for making change.  Their aim was to move the government to provide aid for the poor rural farmers who were suffering because of agricultural overproduction and the dust bowl. Today, even smaller organizations are using cameras and phones to share stories of the world as they see it. In this episode I speak with SF Beautiful’s Executive Director Darcy Bro...
2017-05-2514 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentVideo for Good, SF Beautiful   You may not be able to imagine a time without easy access to cameras, but that was the situation in the US in the 1930s. Roosevelt sent out photographers to document the lives of Americans. Those images inspired congress to understand the impact of the Great Depression and to provide programs to help. In today’s episode, I speak with Darcy Brown, Executive Director at San Francisco Beautiful and Peter Clarke, Communications Manager about using video to share stories of people within their community to bring attention and empathy to different groups who do not have a voice in today’s med...
2017-05-2514 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentMaya Zuckerman, Changing the narrative Season 1: Episode 2 Maya Zuckerman talks about Changing the Narrative Maya Zuckerman has worked with both brands and social change organizations, developing brand narratives and strategies.  Drawing from her experience transmedia producer, storyteller and culture hacker we discuss the role of design thinking in storytelling as well as the importance of defining a vision that involves action. As a cultural observer, Maya has been asking the question, “How do we start to build a more just and caring world?”  Out of this inquiry, she has developed an alternative to the hero’s journey, The Coll...
2017-05-1129 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentChanging the Narrative, Maya ZuckermanIn today’s episode, I speak with Maya Zuckerman, a regenerative entrepreneur, speaker and culture hacker. We talk about social change organizations and the importance of vision, defining what one stands for as opposed to what one stands against. We discuss the specifics involved in building these stories from understanding your stakeholders, to defining your own vision, to the importance of testing your messages. Maya has been researching movement building and the power of story to impact social change.
2017-05-1129 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentFight Hard and Speak Out, Earthjustice   In today’s episode, I speak with Ray Wan, creative director of Earthjustice. You may know Earthjustice from their tagline, “Because the Earth needs a good lawyer,” and their work for the environment, wildlife and community health. We met up a few weeks after Trump entered office and spoke about the need for more simplicity in messaging, how decisions are impacted by emotions, and how they leverage video on Facebook. Ray speaks about the importance of coming together, speaking out and fighting hard.
2017-04-2433 minThis Beautiful Shot is Not an Accident
This Beautiful Shot is Not an AccidentEarthjustice, Fight hard and speak out Season 1: Episode 1 Ray Wan, Earthjustice, talks about the importance of fighting hard and speaking out In this episode, I speak to Ray Wan, Creative Director at Earthjustice, a law firm based in San Francisco with attorneys in states across the country.  We spoke shortly after Trump took office about social change and best practices for getting your message out. Listen Here   Best practices and insights from the episode   Always have top level messaging points. When you are communicating, whether on Facebook, YouTube or a newsletter, what are...
2017-04-2433 min