Episode Summary:In this captivating episode, we journey with Tega Brain from her roots as an environmental engineer to her evolution into an art-tech visionary. Exploring the digital art landscape reshaped by AI and Machine Learning, she draws parallels with influential figures like Ian Cheng, Refik Anadol, and Elon Musk. Her works mirror the transformative power these technologies wield in creating unique artistic experiences, akin to what Trevor Paglen and Agnes Denes are known for. Amidst our tech-driven world, Tega challenges the status quo, intertwining creativity with environmental sustainability, and navigating ethical concerns similar to scholars like Kate Crawford, Timnit Gebru, and Joy Buolamwini. This episode is a must for anyone keen on the intersection of technology, art, and environmental sustainability.In what ways artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming the digital art landscape, and what opportunities do these technologies present for artists?How do you address ethical concerns when incorporating AI and other emerging technologies into your art practice?The Speaker:Tega Brain is an Australian-born artist, environmental engineer, and educator whose work intersects art, technology, and ecology. Her projects often address environmental issues and involve creating experimental systems, installations, and software. She has exhibited her work at various venues, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. In addition to her art practice, Tega Brain is an Assistant Professor of Integrated Digital Media at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering. Her research and teaching focus on the creative and critical applications of technology, with an emphasis on sustainability and environmental concerns.Follow Tega Brain's journey.Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on InstagramHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:Have you ever dreamed of seeing our planet Earth from above, stepping on the surface of the moon or travelling in time? In this episode we have the honour to speak with Andrea Vena, a Chief of Climate and Sustainability Officer at the European Space Agency. Mr. Vena tells us more about the era of new space economy and exploring further the solar system, meanwhile focusing on reaching and optimising the sustainable goal objectives. He shares with us about his sustainable role and approach based on the understanding that the climate and the scientific analysis of the possible evolution is deeply rooted on space data. Mr. Vena talks about the future outpost on and around the moon, the next international space station The Lunar Gateway, and preparing to study Mars in-depth, searching for the building blocks of life and how to sustain it on Earth.''Space is the space without boundaries'' Mr. Vena says. According to Mr. Vena the international collaboration in the space sectors is the way to progress in future. Listen to our episode and launch into space... 3... 2... 1... Liftoff!The Speaker:Andrea Vena is the Chief Climate and Sustainability Officer of the European Space Agency – ESA. He has over than thirty years of experience in the space sector both in industrial and institutional areas. He’s married with three children.Graduated in Electronic Engineering, with a Master in Telecommunication Systems, he started his career in Italy as system engineer in Alenia Spazio, the space branch of Finmeccanica (today Leonardo), where he contributed to large space projects as the ESA Artemis Data Relay Satellite, and the ESA-NASA Cassini-Huygens mission, and then covered different managerial positions.In 2000, Andrea started his career at ESA by joining the Strategy Directorate. In 2006 he was appointed head of the Corporate Strategic Planning office, in charge of the Agency’s strategic planning process, including the elaboration of the 10-year ESA Long-Term Plan and the management of Agency-level strategic risks. In 2016, he was appointed head of the Corporate Development Office, in charge of establishing a corporate strategy for the development of the organisation. Among his duties, Andrea was responsible for elaborating and coordinating the implementation of the ESA Strategic Plan including actions and activities needed to reach ESA development strategic objectives. He was in charge, among others, to define and deploy a knowledge management system across the organisation as well as to elaborate a corporate social responsibility policy and define actions needed to implement it at ESA.Follow European Space Agency's journey.Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on InstagramHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:On this World Whale Day we devote our episode to the Ocean - one of the most important places on our planet and home to thousand of different plant and animal species. The aquatic ecosystems make up 70.8 percent of the earth's surface and act as a buffer against many critical global issues including pollution and over-harvesting, it is a source of half of the oxygen we breathe. We have the pleasure to meet Markus Reymann, a Director of TBA21–Academy and an advocate for ocean literacy, research and conservation. He expands on his mission and tells us about how creativity and global collaboration with tribalizers in the fields of art and science - such as Olafur Eliasson, David Gruber and the new exhibition with Wu Tsang 'Of Whales' opening this 21st of February - can foster ocean's restoration.The Speaker:Markus Reymann is Director of TBA21–Academy, a non-profit cultural organization he co-founded in 2011 that fosters interdisciplinary dialogue and exchange surrounding the most urgent ecological, social, and economic issues facing our oceans today. Reymann leads the Academy’s engagement with artists, activists, scientists, and policy-makers worldwide, resulting in the creation of new commissions, new bodies of knowledge, and new policies advancing the conservation and protection of the oceans. In March 2019, TBA21–Academy launched Ocean Space, a new global port for ocean literacy, research, and advocacy. Located in the restored Church of San Lorenzo in Venice, Italy, Ocean Space is activated by the itinerant Academy and its network of partners, including universities, NGOs, museums, government agencies, and research institutes from around the world.Follow Markus Reymann, TBA21-Academy and Ocean Space journey.Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on InstagramHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:At ZG19 we believe that the New Year should start with revisiting our relationship with nature and our planet, because we ARE the planet, an integral part of our ecosystem. This is why our first episode in 2023 is dedicated to an acclaimed SuperNatural exhibition at the Eden Project, a cross-disciplinary cultural leader, that runs till 26 February. The show brings together a range of international artists, including Ai Weiwei, Kedisha Coakley, Iman Datoo, Patricia Domínguez, Ingela Ihrman and Eduardo Navarro, who explore humankind’s ever-evolving understanding of ourselves as a part of the natural world, the interdependencies between humans and plants, and the systems that inform our varying perspectives. In this interview the Senior curator Misha Curson and curator Hannah Hooks guide us through the exhibitions, mentioning global cultural activism, and stating that in order to develop a planet fit for the future, we need to nurture creative perspectives. Other two ladies that join the conversation are Iman Datoo and Patricia Dominguez. While an interdisciplinary artist Datoo expands on her curious practice that brings together botany and cartography, Domínguez tells us how she merges socio-political and economic matters with mysticism and ancient botanical knowledge.About Eden Project:Owned by the Eden Trust, the Eden Project is a global arts, science and educational charity with a social and environmental mission: to create a movement that builds relationships between people and the natural world to demonstrate the power of working together for the benefit of all living things. Eden champions creativity and critical thinking, and presents thoughtful and thought-provoking cross-disciplinary cultural, community and education programmes on-site and across local and national communities. Founded as a Millennium Project in 2001, Eden welcomes over one million visitors each year, it has a digital reach of several million and as Eden Project establishes new sites across the UK and in China, Australia and New Zealand, its reach is growing. Eden is at the forefront of emerging cultural practices in regeneration, conservation, sustainability, horticulture, architecture, community outreach and education. The organisation has an extensive network of scientific expertise and partners at leading local, national and international universities and research bodies.The world-famous Biomes house a living ethno-botanical collection. To date Eden has commissioned and exhibited such world-revered and diverse artists as El Anatsui, Wolfgang Buttress, Hayden Dunham, Ryan Gander, Jenny Kendler, Julian Opie, Peter Randall-Page, Tim Shaw and Studio Swine. Eden is a hybrid of gallery, museum, garden, venue, laboratory and university – a cross-disciplinary cultural leader for the 21st century, uniquely placed to offer transformative opportunities to artists engaged with social-environmental subjects.Follow Eden Project 's journey on InstagramHosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on InstagramHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:Meanwhile patiently observing and exploring every single bit of the fascinating Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries exhibition at the 23rd International Exposition at Triennale Milano, curated by Ersilia Vaudo, we were mesmerised by an underwater robotic installation. In this episode we meet British bio artist Anna Dumitriu, who tells us more about the artwork ArcheaBot, reimagining what a post climate change life might be - a post singularity life-form. Based on a ground breaking research on archaea - a group of unicellular microorganisms believed to be the oldest form of life on earth - combined with the latest innovations in artificial intelligence and machine learning, Anna has collaborated with Alex May to create the ‘ultimate’ species that can adapt to live in extreme conditions, able to survive the end of our world. The pioneering visual artist speaks about her extraordinary practice in between art and biology and the role of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in an altered future life, laying the importance Alan Turing’s Imitation Game has assumed in the philosophy of mind and quoting ideas of Elon Musk discussing possible solutions for Climate Change.The Speaker:Anna Dumitriu is an award winning, internationally renowned, British artist who works with BioArt, sculpture, installation, and digital media to explore our relationship to infectious diseases, synthetic biology and robotics. Her work is held in several major public collections, including the Science Museum London and Eden Project.Follow Anna 's journey on InstagramHosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:30 meters below earth there is a place where time stands still - the Ruinart chalk cellars, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Deep inside it, where once there used to be an ocean, we are confronted by the origin of our existence, returning back to the source. In this episode we are interviewing environmental artists Maya Mouawad and Cyril Laurier, known as Mouawad Laurier duo, on the occasion of their sustainable installation commissioned by Maison Ruinart, Retour Aux Sources, marking the beginning of the 10-year countdown to the 300th anniversary of the champagne house. The artistic project brings data, artificial intelligence and the living world together in an immersive experience, submerging the audience into a visual and sound encounter underground. Maya and Cyril share with us more about the essence of their artistic practice and their work Retour Aux Sources with which they are ''striving to reconnect with our roots, those at our very core.'' We go back to the origin and question the role of technology in art, the interdependence of our eco system and the way we perceive ourselves in relation to nature. Moreover, the collective gives us a hint about their upcoming project Rising, inspired by our concerns about climate change and the raising level of the Ocean, another crucial and defining multilayered body of work for Mouawad Laurier.The Speakers:Mouawad Laurier is the collective name for two artists who work and live together. Maya Mouawad and Cyril Laurier have been collaborating on innovative artistic projects together around the world for many years, working with other artists under the name Hand Coded. They now sign their own work under their real names. In partnership with Pablo Valbuena, they were pioneers of video mapping and have continued along this path, collaborating with leading video mapping artists such as AntiVJ and Romain Tardy.Maya Mouawad is an environmental artist. The aim of her work is to question the place of machines in our modern world: how can these machines affect human behaviour, how can they change the way we perceive ourselves in relation to nature? Her installations often involve the use of new technologies, generative light systems. She has created her own generative light control software.Cyril Laurier is a music composer. He has researched ways to detect emotions in music using machine learning and has published his work in journals, books and conferences. He now applies his knowledge of artificial intelligence to art installations, making sentient machines that question our relationship with technology and nature.Follow Mouawad Laurier's journey on InstagramHosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:The first episode of our novel season The New Leviathan, that is grounded in many conversations capturing this moment of history, with its focal point on the relationship between individuals and technologies, is an intimate chat with three curators of the E-WERK Luckenwalde — Helen Turner, Adriana Tranca and Katharina Worf. The all women curatorial team of the world’s first renewable energy art institution is taking our co-founder and curator Farah Piriye on a journey to a small town 30 miles south of Berlin, in the former East Germany, where this functioning Kunststrom power station that explores ecological and socio- cultural practices is located. As the art world today faces a host of challenges, from monument removal to calls for repatriation, and rethinking museum model hierarchies, the ladies tell us how they envision an art space of the future. While Katharina Worf is introducing us to the concept of slow curating and Adriana Tranca explains how very attentive the audience is to what modern culture has to offer, the artistic director of E-WERK Helen Turner states that one of the fundamental roles of a curator in today’s troubled world is to make contemporary art accessible to the local community.About E-WERK LUCKENWALDE:E-WERK Luckenwalde is located in a former coal power station built in 1913, ceasing production in 1989 after the fall of the Berlin wall. Located 30 minutes south of Berlin, E-WERK Luckenwalde is jointly directed by artist Pablo Wendel and curator Helen Turner. In 2017, the art collective Performance Electrics GmbH led by Pablo Wendel acquired the former brown-coal power station with the vision to reanimate it as a sustainable Kunststrom (art power) Kraftwerk to feed power into the national grid by burning locally sources waste wood chips to make electricity, and function as alarge scale contemporary art centre. As part of POWER NIGHT in 2019, Performance.Follow E-WERK Luckenwalde's journey on InstagramHosts: Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:In this episode our co-founder Elizabeth Zhivkova meets Cora Sheibani - a Swiss-born, London-based jewellery designer and a core member of GemX socio-club. A dialogue between two jewellery enthusiasts and creators, a gaze into the future of jewellery design through the lens of sustainability and ethical sourcing, one of the biggest challenges in the sector nowadays. Totally devoid of cliches, Cora's one-off unique jewels transcendent our expectations unfolding a story to be told. Going down memory lane, she shares about her influences behind her practice and her view on the functionality and the role of jewellery in our contemporary lives; on how to preserve the tradition in the 21st Century. Cora encourages the listeners to be conscious, be bold, stay true to themselves, meanwhile giving some precious insightful tips on starting off an independent business in the field.'Her jewellery does not hanker after an image of more or less aggressive richness. What Cora Sheibani designs is not really 'jewellery' but rather a sophisticated suggestion.' Ettore SottsassThe Speaker:Cora Sheibani is a Swiss-born and London-based jewellery designer. From an early age Cora benefitted from an environment dedicated to contemporary art and design. She received an Art History degree from New York University in June 2001 and the following summer she completed a degree in geology from the GIA in London. In December 2002 she launched her eponymous jewellery label. She started out by making small groups of work and individual pieces, each unique. Aside from showing her designs in private viewings by appointment, Cora Sheibani showcases her pieces at special exhibitions trough all over the world. Cora is a core member of GemX - a private social club and a global community for jewellery enthusiasts, mentors and collaborators.Follow Cora's journey on InstagramHosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 Foundation & NOIR CATCHER Fine JewellerySign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:In this episode we are interviewing Scottish artist Katie Paterson, on the occasion of the biggest iteration to date of Future Library project in Oslo, and one of her most political works to date, Requiem, which opened in Edinburgh in April. Katie explains: “I’ve always made artworks that deal with nature and time and climate, but this is the first that isn’t afraid to be political and confrontational... It is both celebratory and mythical, and yet it is also the saddest work I’ve ever made, mourning life lost and expressing a dystopian vision.” Making a quiet and gestural artwork, Katie refers to herself as a whispering activist, calling for awareness of distance with nature. Requiem tells the birth and life of our planet in a single object – an object that uses dust gathered from material dating from pre-solar times to those of the present. Katie’s visionary project Future Library is one of the best examples of how artist can contribute to global crisis. “A forest has been planted in Norway, which will supply paper for a special anthology of books to be printed in 100 years time. Between now and then, one writer every year will contribute a text, with the writings held in trust, unread and unpublished, until the year 2114. The manuscripts will be held in a specially designed room in the new public library, Oslo.”“The crisis is not imminent; the crisis is here” George MonbiotThe Speaker:Katie Paterson was born in Glasgow in 1981. She studied at Edinburgh College of Art and the Slade School of Art, London, and is widely regarded as one of the leading artists of her generation working at the nexus of art and science. Recent and upcoming projects include solo exhibitions at the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh; Turner Contemporary, Margate; NYLO, Reykjavik, and in June 2022 at Galleri F15 in Moss, Norway. Also in June, her 100-year artwork Future Library will celebrate the contributions of the last 3 writers to be commissioned and the opening of the Future Library room in the new Deichman Library in Oslo. A major new outdoor commission Mirage, for Apple’s headquarters at Cupertino in California, will be unveiled later this year. Katie Paterson has been represented by Ingleby since 2010.Follow Katie's journey on InstagramHosts: Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:In today’s episode we are diving into the inspiring world of Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg. Named "One to Watch" by the Financial Times and voted a Future 50 by Icon Magazine, this Cambridge University and Royal College of Art graduate makes artworks that explore our fraught relationships with nature and technology. Through artworks, writing, and curatorial projects, Ginsberg’s work explores subjects as diverse as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, conservation, and evolution, as she investigates the human impulse to “better” the world. In this candid conversation we ask Daisy about her ongoing one of a kind interspecies artwork entitled Pollinator Pathmaker that transforms how we see gardens and who we make them for. This conscious art project will come into full bloom for the first time this May at the Eden Project, Cornwall. Further public Pollinator Pathmaker gardens will be planted this year in other locations globally including the Serpentine in London. Meanwhile, anyone in Northern Europe will be able to plant their own garden at home, as well as globally by creating a garden plan at pollinator.art, supported by the Google Arts and Culture Lab.The Speaker:Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg is an artist examining our fraught relationships with nature and technology. Through artworks, writing, and curatorial projects, Ginsberg’s work explores subjects as diverse as artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, conservation, and evolution, as she investigates the human impulse to “better” the world. Ginsberg spent over ten years experimentally engaging with the field of synthetic biology, developing new roles for artists and designers. She is lead author of Synthetic Aesthetics: Investigating Synthetic Biology’s Designs on Nature (MIT Press, 2014), and in 2017 completed Better, her PhD by practice, at London’s Royal College of Art (RCA), interrogating how powerful dreams of “better” futures shape the things that get designed. Ginsberg won the World Technology Award for design in 2011, the London Design Medal for Emerging Talent in 2012, and the Dezeen Changemaker Award 2019. Her work has twice been nominated for Designs of the Year (2011, 2015), with Designing for the Sixth Extinction described as “romantic, dangerous... and everything else that inspires us to change and question the world”. Ginsberg exhibits internationally, including at MoMA New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, the National Museum of China, the Centre Pompidou, and the Royal Academy, and her work is held in museum and private collections. Talks include TEDGlobal, PopTech, Design Indaba, and the New Yorker TechFest. Daisy is a resident at Somerset House Studios, London.Follow Alexandra's journey on InstagramHosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova & Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:’Freedom is not a secret. It’s practice’, says our next guest speaker Alexis Pauline Gumbs, “a Queer Black Troublemaker and Black Feminist… whose work in this lifetime is to facilitate infinite, unstoppable ancestral love in practice.” In this intimate and candid conversation we dive into the poetical worlds of philosophy, Black feminism, and the concepts of mothering and daughtering with an invisible labor based behind the two. Today we ask Alexis her thoughts about the current state of ‘Apocalypse’, a never ending Healing, the legacy of one of the most powerful individuals of modernity Audre Lorde and Afro Caribbean culture. Alexis introduces us to eco-feminism and how her work contributes to the global conversation on environmentalism and climate change. Alexis’s writings have inspired international artists to create dance works, installation work, paintings, divination practices, operas, quilts and more.The Speaker:Alexis Pauline Gumbs` work is grounded in a community building ethic. As a co-founder member of UBUNTU A Women of Colour Survivor-Led Coalition to End Gendered Violence, Warrior Healers Organizing Trust and Earthseed Land Collective in Durham, NC, a member of the first visioning council of Kindred Southern Healing Justice Network and a participant in Southerners on New Ground, Allied Media Projects, Black Women’s Blueprint and the International Black Youth Summit for more than a decade she brings a passion for the issues that impact oppressed communities and an intimate knowledge of the resilience of movements led by Black, indigenous, working class women and queer people of colour. Her writings in key movement periodicals such as Make/Shift, Left Turn, The Abolitionist, Ms. Magazine, and the collections Abolition Now, The Revolution Starts at Home, Dear Sister and the Transformative Justice Reader have offered clarity and inspiration to generations of activists.Her book Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals is a series of meditations based on the increasingly relevant lessons of marine mammals in a world with a rising ocean levels.Follow Alexis's journey on InstagramHosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova & Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:Preventing genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity is an ongoing process that requires sustained effort over time to build the resilience of societies to atrocity crimes. In today’s episode we meet Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum, an Associate Professor of Clinical Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, to speak about her focus on human rights, public health, and atrocity prevention, slavery and the slave trade, indigenous rights, and human rights violations against minority groups. We discuss Russia’s attack on Ukraine, how human rights violations and mass atrocities can be prevented, as well as the current displacement of the vulnerable Ukrainian population, what the United Nations calls the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. We continue to hope for the return of peace and stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine and the citizens of Russia who will bear the cost of its government’s lawlessness. The Speaker:Jocelyn Getgen is an Associate Professor of Clinical Law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law where she directs the Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic and the Cardozo Law Institute in Holocaust and Human Rights (CLIHHR). Her scholarship focuses on human rights, public health, and atrocity prevention, especially related to preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based crimes, slavery and the slave trade, indigenous rights, and human rights violations against minority groups. She holds a J.D. from Cornell Law School and an MPH from the John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Follow Jocelyn's journey on Twitter Hosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova & Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:This February we have the honour to meet one of India's best conservation and environmental journalists Swati Thiyagarajan. Swati delves into what makes a good documentary film, tells us more about her role in the Oscar-wining documentary My Octopus Teacher and shares the most urgent pressing issues related to biodiversity loss. We merge with her to the wild and the wilderness, to community based models of fighting the challenges of the environment and the human spirit. Swati offers a glimpse into the ecological philosophy guiding her efforts in conservation and raising awareness and encourages us to remember that we are born wild and where there is life, there is hope.Our goal is to inspire the next generation of students, researchers and professionals interested in and committed to environmental consciousness-raising. We hope our listeners are able to pause from stressful workflows, take a break from distractions, and enjoy the conversation.The Speaker:Swati Thiyagarajan is one of India’s top conservation and environmental journalists. She was the environment editor at NDTV; her show ‘Born Wild’ ran successfully for over 15 years on the channel. Swati is an associate producer and production manager of My Octopus Teacher winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 93rd Academy Awards. Her book, Born Wild, chronicles her experiences in the wilds of India and Africa. Her documentary film The Animal Communicator had a theatrical release in Cape Town, where she currently works at the Sea Change Project for the conservation of the Great African Sea forest. She is a two-time winner of the Ramnath Goenka Award for excellence in environmental journalism, and the Carl Zeiss Award for her reporting on wildlife conservation.Follow Swati's journey on InstagramHosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova & Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:In this episode our co-founder Elizabeth speaks with Svein Tveitdal - a climate expert and activist, former UN Environmental Director and founder of Klima2020. The conversation raises a red alert on the environmental catastrophe and encourages a better more eco-responsible future. Mr. Tveitdal shares effective and quick ways of tackling climate change and his thoughts on the strong role and impact of young people on environmental policy. “If we had listened to scientists 30 years ago, we wouldn't have had a big problem like we have now,” says Svein Tveitdal.The Speaker:Svein Tveitdal is a Norwegian climate change activist, a former director of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and a present director of the climate change consultancy Klima2020. Tveitdal founded Klima2020 to share advice with companies and local authorities who want to implement environmentally-responsible changes with the objective to "bridge the gap between climate science, policy makers and the general public.”Follow Svein Tveitdal's journey on TwitterHosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:The current episode is co-hosted with Simon Butler, an artist, curator and founder of MigrateArt, an art charity that helps those impacted by the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time. In the current episode we meet a Myanmar-born graffiti artist Bart Was Not Here, who creates a body of work full of escapism and dry humour by mixing text and imagery from Burmese and global pop culture. In this candid conversation we talk about Bart’s artistic journey from discovering graffiti, to experiencing anti-muslim hatred, and being forced to leave the country, as Bart shares with us his thoughts on the harsh reality of Myanmar and the misrepresentation of Burmese culture globally.The Speaker:Bart Was Not Here, born on 19.2.1996 in Yangon, Burma, is a visual artist working with paintings, illustrations, murals, and sculptures based in Paris. He started painting graffiti on the streets of Yangon under the alias “Bart Was Not Here” when he was in 8th grade and he graduated high school in 2011-2012. He committed to painting graffiti and street art with his crew R.O.A.R after high school and went to Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore in 2014. He got a Fine Arts Diploma from Lasalle in 2018. As a graffiti artist he participated in a great number of group exhibitions in Burma as well as overseas. He debuted his solo exhibition titled God Complex at Myanm/art gallery in 2019. He has showcased his paintings in Saatchi Gallery as well as The Secretariat Building in Myanmar. His artworks are usually figurative with vibrant colored patterns and humorous text serving as punchlines. He is interested in world-building and storytelling within his art as he is inspired by the likes of Hieronymous Bosch, David Lynch, Neil Gaiman, and Jean “Moebius” Giraud. Kyaw Moe Khine is open to working with different concepts in his art but he loves working in the areas of myth, religion, icons, pop culture, and satire. He also believes humour can be used as a weapon in art. He’s in the middle of his art residency at Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.The Co-Host:Simon Butleris a curator, social entrepreneur and artist based in London. He founded Migrate Artin 2016 after visiting the Calais Jungle refugee camp in France for the first time. This poignant experience inspired him to use his years of experience in the art world to help those impacted by the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time. To date, Migrate Art has raised over £550,000, helped thousands of people across Europe and the Middle East and worked with some of the world's leading artists including Anish Kapoor, Mona Hatoum, Antony Gormley, Rachel Whiteread and Raqib Shaw.Host: Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.comFollow us on Instagramand TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:With the start of our new season we have the pleasure to meet the legendary American experimental theatre stage director, playwright and visual artist - Robert (Bob) Wilson just after turning 80, during his directing of Shakespeare's The Tempest at Sofia's National Theatre. Wilson tell us why 'speaking' Shakespeare is different, what makes a great actor and how he merges his senses with various shapes of expression, hearing the space and silence. He shares about his inspiring community driven initiative The Watermill Center and his hopes and vision for a fair and equal future and freedom of creation.The Speaker:Robert Wilson (born Oct. 4, 1941, Waco, Texas, U.S.) is an American avant-garde theatre stage director and playwright who has been described by The New York Times as "the world's foremost vanguard 'theatre artist.' Wilson is best known for his collaboration with Philip Glass and Lucinda Childs on Einstein on the Beach, and his collaborations with talented artists amongst which Tom Waits, Marina Abramovic, Lou Reed and Lady Gaga. In 1992, Wilson established The Watermill Center, functioning as a 'laboratory of inspiration and performance' in Long Island, New York.Follow Bob Wilson's journey on InstagramHosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova & Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:The current episode is co-hosted with our former guest speaker Simon Butler, a curator, artist and founder of MigrateArt, a platform that helps those impacted by the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time. Together we meet Ken Nwadiogby, a Nigerian artist whose artistic research is focused on gender equality, African culture, and Black power. Ken was named by Guardian Life as one of the most “Outstanding Personalities of 2019” in recognition of his contributions to the Nigerian arts community.In this candid conversation we discuss how Ken is utilising his practice as a tool for social change, raising awareness of such themes as racism, police brutality, sexism, xenophobia and more. Ken shares his thoughts on cultural revolution, how to respond back to society when it speaks to us, what it means to be a Nigerian artist in today’s climate and how Contemporealism, a new method of visual communication coined by the artist himself, was born.The Speaker:Ken Nwadiogbu (b. 1994, Lagos, Nigeria) is a visual artist who creates innovative conceptual drawings on various surfaces as he engages in multidisciplinary modes of storytelling. Nwadiogbu earned a B.Sc. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. His interest in art, as well as his career began while he earned his degree despite no formal training. Inspired by issues relating to him and those around, he began creating works that reflect the everyday struggles of people, with the hopes of making a change in his community. Popularly known as KenArt, Nwadiogbu is credited for introducing the “Contemporealism” movement and is constantly revitalising his practice by challenging modes of Black representation. A core focus for Nwadiogbu is to inspire and encourage young creatives. He does this through public speaking and mentorship, as well as through his creative companies; Artland Contemporary Limited and KINGS Management. He nurtures an art collective called ‘Title Deed’ and co-found Artists Connect NG, the largest artist gathering in Nigeria, created to foster creativity, collaboration and community.Follow Ken's journey on InstagramThe Co-Host:Simon Butler is a curator, social entrepreneur and artist based in London. He founded Migrate Art in 2016 after visiting the Calais Jungle refugee camp in France for the first time. This poignant experience inspired him to use his years of experience in the art world to help those impacted by the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time. To date, Migrate Art has raised over £550,000, helped thousands of people across Europe and the Middle East and worked with some of the world's leading artists including Anish Kapoor, Mona Hatoum, Antony Gormley, Rachel Whiteread and Raqib Shaw.Host: Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 FoundationSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and TwitterHelp us to continue our mission and to develop our podcast: Donate

Episode Summary:In this episode, co-hosted with Kiana Talebpour (creative director of Md'A Design Agency), we get a chance to chat with the most incredible Newsha Tavakolian, an Iranian photographer who has dedicated her life and career to empowering those who need to be heard by documenting the underrepresented stories. Her powerful work reflects on realism and morality, on social injustice and exploitation, on gender inequality and violence. As she advocates for human rights, female voices in oppressed environments and covering wars, challenging conflicts and crises around the world, we ask how she sees her camera as a tool for social change. As well as how being an Iranian has affected her path as a female photographer and what does it mean to her to bring into the world’s attention the turbulent realities of her region and beyond.The Speaker:Newsha Tavakolian is known for her powerful work covering wars in Iraq and social issues in her native Iran. With clarity and sensitivity, Tavakolian has photographed female guerilla fighters in Iraqi Kurdistan, Syria and Colombia, prohibited Iranian female singers and the lives of people living under sanctions. Over the years, her practice has shifted from photojournalism to photography as art. Her work has been published in international magazines and newspapers such as Time Magazine, Newsweek, Stern, Le Figaro, Colors, The New York Times, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, NRC Handelsblad, The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic. Tavakolian became a Magnum nominee in 2015 and an associate in 2017.Follow Newsha's journey on InstagramHosts: Farah Piriye (ZG19) & Kiana Talebpour (Md'A Design Agency)Sign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and Twitter

Episode Summary:Following our crucial episode “On the Art of Scars & Erased History” with the British artist and sculptor Piers Secunda, structured around the idea of art as a social vehicle that shifts conversations on diplomatic arena and Secunda’s body of work that is focusing on the iconoclastic acts of the extremist groups, we dive deeper into the topic to further discuss the questions of greatest concern related to the destruction of culture, restitution of museum objects and the market for looted artefacts. Secunda shares with us his invaluable knowledge and experience in the field, an artist whose practice examines the deliberate targeting of culture in war time, by moulding damage from war zones and the sites of historic conflicts to make artworks and raise awareness.The speaker:Piers Secunda was born in London in 1976 and studied painting at Chelsea College of Art in London. Secunda has developed a studio practice using paint in a sculptural manner, rejecting the limitations imposed by the canvas. His intensive research based practice examines the deliberate targeting of culture in war time, by moulding damage from war zones and the sites of historic conflicts to make works. And using crude oil as a printing medium, to examine energy history through post industrial revolution developments, both cultural and technological, which define our world today.Host:Farah PiriyeFollow Piers Secunda's journey on InstagramSign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and Twitter

Episode Summary:In this episode our host Elizabeth Zhivkova and co-host Kiana Talebpour (Md'A) meet the Italian visual artist Patrick Tuttofuoco. Patrick details the origin of his approach and shares about the quiet moment where visitors can experience the simple yet profound emotions that can be stirred when encountering beauty in ways by transforming the environment. He offers thoughts on how we can navigate the coronavirus pandemic and our creativity with courage, hope and empathy. Patrick talks about his inner energy flow and source of inspiration and shows how we can take advantage of being creative at this unique moment of social distancing.This virtual conversation is part of the ZEITGEIST19 series hosted in collaboration with Md'A Design Agency.The Speaker:Patrick Tuttofuoco is an Italian visual artist who ives and works in Milan. Tuttofuoco’s practice is conceived as a dialogue between individuals and their ability to transform the environment they inhabit, by exploring notions of community and social integration in order to combine immediate sensorial allure with the power to trigger profound theoretical responses. Tuttofuoco melds Modernism and Pop; he presses figuration into abstraction, using man as the paradigm of existence, as the matrix and measuring unit of reality. From this interpretative and cognitive process, infinite versions of man and the context of his existence are produced, from which shapes able to animate the sculptures are generated.Patrick Tuttofuoco participated in the 50th Venice Biennale (2003), Manifesta 5 (2004), the 6th Shanghai Biennale (2006) and the 10th Havana Biennal (2009). His works has been exhibited in several institutions such as Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin (2006), the Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin (2008) and Casa Italia, Pyeongchang (2018). In 2017 it was selected by the Italian Council announcement with the ZERO project presented in Rimini, Berlin and Bologna (2018).Follow Patrick's journey on InstagramHosts: Elizabeth Zhivkova (ZG19) & Kiana Talebpour (Md'A Design Agency)Sign up for ZEITGEIST19's newsletter at https://www.zeitgeist19.comFor sponsorship enquiries, comments, ideas and collaborations, email us at info@zeitgeist19.com Follow us on Instagram and Twitter