Shows
Filum - Fiber Arts PodcastFrom Ring to Renewal: Fighters, Art, and the Power of ReinventionWhat happens when gladiators leave the ring behind — not in defeat, but in search of something deeper? In this episode, we explore the radical career shifts of boxing legends who transformed their lives through creativity, craftsmanship, and inner reflection.We look into the powerful stories of Sammy Frager, the featherweight champion who turned to glove-making with monastic precision; Muhammad Ali, whose late-life journey into visual art became a form of spiritual therapy; and Mark Connor, a lesser-known fighter who found peace in poetry and crafts after the bell.Listen to their stories and unpack the ps...2025-07-2115 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastUnarmed Childhood: Rethinking Youth Through Feminine EyesIn this emphatic episode, we confront the growing problem of youth militarisation in the 21st century – a global issue that continues to blur the line between childhood and war. From camouflage school uniforms to patriotic indoctrination and media glorifications of war, we explore how military culture quietly infiltrates young minds, shaping their identities before they fully form.There is some spotlight to the feminine resistance, drawing on the voices and works of influential thinkers and artists. Feminist political theorists Cynthia Enloe and Judith Butler help us unpack how ideologies use women and children as symbolic tools to ju...2025-07-0514 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastIn Bloom: The Timeless Season of BecomingWhy do some people seem to shine early while others take decades to unfurl? In this reflective episode, we explore the psychological phenomenon of the “blooming season” — that deeply personal timing of self-realization and creative awakening. From early prodigies to those who rise later in life, this theme weaves together insights from psychological research on self-actualization, identity formation, and environmental influence.Referencing the work of developmental psychologists, the episode unpacks the roles of childhood support, trauma, societal pressure, and inner timing. Through the lives of late-blooming icons — Paul Sézane, Christian Dior and avant-garde designer Rei Kawakubo — we uncover...2025-06-2216 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastThe Crack in the Wall: Thinking as ResistanceIn this thought-provoking episode, we unravel the meaning behind Descartes’ enduring phrase: “Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum” – “I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am.” From this foundational idea, we trace a philosophical journey through the minds of Gilles Deleuze, Franz Kafka, Jorge Méndez Blake, Doris Salcedo and Teresa Margolles, revealing how critical thought disrupts systems of silence and control.What does it mean to think freely in a world that demands conformity? How can a single idea – or a single book – destabilise the foundation of a wall? We explore how Kafka’s The Castle quietly resists the weight...2025-06-1512 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastStitching Calm: Threads of Healing in an Age of AnxietyAs global anxiety rates continue to climb, scientific research points to a growing mental health crisis shaped by social, environmental, and personal pressures. In this episode, we observe the root causes behind this surge, from digital overwhelm to isolation and uncertainty. We also explore a gentle, restorative response: the healing potential of thread and fibre.The story features the inspiring work of textile artist Claire Wellesley-Smith and her slow stitching and creative textile practices that serve as powerful tools for emotional healing, leading anxious souls with care and quiet persistence.Textile artists demonstrate how mindful...2025-06-0712 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastSensing Style: Fashion Beyond SightIn this episode, we dive into the fascinating interplay of the five human senses – sight, touch, smell, hearing, and even taste – through the lenses of physiology, psychology and fashion. While fashion is traditionally seen as a visually dominant field, we challenge that perception by exploring how all the senses contribute to the experience of clothing, identity, and emotional resonance.Our conversation moves into the world of inclusive design, focusing on the growing movement of “blind fashion” – where fashion brands create garments specifically with and for people with visual impairments, relying on texture, comfort and functionality.These designs allow non...2025-05-3114 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastThe Weight of What We Keep: Sentimentalism, Memory and MeaningIn this reflective episode, we delve into the emotional terrain of sentimental objects – books, photographs, textiles, and cherished fragments left behind by those we’ve loved. These items, both intimate and ordinary, become powerful vessels of memory and identity. But what happens when they begin to clutter our inner landscape?Through personal stories and cultural analysis, we explore the psychological and philosophical impact of keeping these sentimental traces. Are they sacred heirlooms of personal history – or emotional anchors that can hold us back from healing and growth?We draw inspiration from Ann Hamilton who explores themes of memory...2025-05-2312 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastSerenity in Space: Time as You Feel itIn this episode, we explore the philosophical and psychological dimensions of space – not as empty distance, but as a field of experience. Through the quiet, contemplative work of art, we look at how paper, textile and thread can transform our perception of space into something internal, emotional, and deeply grounding.We imagine the art pieces of Agnes Martin – the subtle grids and soft palettes that evoke a feeling of a space not to be filled, but to be sensed – inviting presence, silence, and clarity.Blending ideas from philosophy, psychology, and visual culture, this episode reflects on the...2025-05-1612 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastWhen Belonging Slips AwayIn this episode, we explore the deep emotional experience of losing a sense of belonging — especially for those who’ve lived under harsh or repressive regimes. When one’s homeland becomes a place of silence, fear, or disconnection, how do we begin to reclaim a sense of identity and home?We turn to fibre art as a healing language — a tactile, expressive practice that speaks across borders and brings people together through shared human values. Embroidery, quilting, sewing and other types of textile art are quiet forms of resistance and powerful tools for reconnection.Discover how text...2025-05-0915 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastWhispers Within: The Artist's Inner VoiceIn this reflective episode, we explore the powerful phenomenon of the inner voice — that ever-present dialogue shaping how artists see themselves, their work, and the world around them. We will observe how this internal monologue can fuel creativity and spiral into self-doubt and relentless criticism.We will discover the key ways to tame it, drawing on the emotional honesty of Louise Bourgeois, who famously channelled her traumatic experience and self-critique into utterly personal, psychological art. We discuss how artists can face and even befriend their inner critic. Through storytelling, psychology, and lived experiences, this talk invites listeners to...2025-05-0209 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastStitching the Stars: Dreams of Space and the Art of Zero GravityIn this episode, we journey into the dreams that begin in childhood — those vast, shining hopes of becoming an astronaut — and how they intertwine with the quiet, grounded rhythm of handcraft. What happens when these two worlds meet?We explore the inspiring story of those who carried their love for making into the cosmos, including astronaut Karen Nyberg, who stitched a starry quilt block aboard the International Space Station, and artists like Ebru Kurbak, who reimagine textile traditions in microgravity.This talk reflects on how creativity survives and adapts beyond Earth, how the dream of spac...2025-04-2413 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastTangled Threads: Chaos, Creation, and the Legacy of Judith ScottIn this episode, we unravel the powerful connection between chaos and creativity, exploring how artistic expression often begins in the unknown. Through the lens of mixed media and textile art, we dive into the messy, intuitive, and deeply emotional process of making — where fibres found objects and personal histories converge.At the heart of our conversation is the extraordinary legacy of Judith Scott, a self-taught artist whose wrapped and cocooned sculptures became icons of outsider art. Her work, created in silence and instinct, speaks volumes about identity, transformation, and the healing potential of touch and texture....2025-04-1813 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastCreativity Challenges Logic: Bridging Meaning and MakingIn the episode, we delve into the fascinating interplay between the brain’s two hemispheres — where logic meets imagination. Join us as we explore how engaging analytical and creative processes through practices like embroidery, crafting, and design can foster mental balance and emotional well-being.From structured problem-solving in any crafting activity to the meditative flow of freeform artwork, this talk uncovers how connecting left-brain precision with right-brain intuition can enhance cognitive function, reduce stress, and support a more holistic sense of self.Whether you are a maker, a thinker, or somewhere in between, this episode is a...2025-04-1213 minFilum - Fiber Arts PodcastFollowing the Thread - Fibre as Art, Myth, and MeaningIn this opening episode, we begin at the mythic heart of all textile creations, their philosophic nature and the thread itself. We unravel the story of Ariadne, the Cretan princess who offered a single thread to guide Theseus through the labyrinth — an ancient symbol of intuition, craft, individuation and survival.From this timeless myth, we follow the thread through history and into the present day, where fibre becomes both material and metaphor in the hands of contemporary artists and makers and a therapeutic tool for self-reflection and mindfulness. This episode sets the stage for a podcast that se...2025-04-0309 min