What’s My Thesis?

43. Escapism - Nico Hernandez

42. Ashtanga Yoga and Perception Pt II - Sydney Croskery

41. Ashtanga Yoga and Perception Pt I - Sydney Croskery

40. Venezuela: For a Fistful of Petrodollars

39. DABDA - Tony Irons

38. Grief and Acceptance - Tony Irons

37. Positive and Negative Frustration - Josh Scheadel - Live From Other Places Art Fair!

36. Interpersonal Dynamics - Nina Sarnelle

35. Balancing Activity and Reactivity - Nina Sarnelle

34. The Miaminess of Miami - Jessica Gispert

Continuing, Jessica Gispert and I talk about growing up Cuban American in Miami, as we bro out in this primer about being a kid in a hispanic culture that was allowed immigrate to the USA and flourish as refugees. 

33. Santeria - Jessica Gispert

Artist Jessica Gispert and I talk about growing up around Cuban occultism in Miami. We have fun getting into the origins of Santeria while remaining careful not to upset the saints. Also, animal sacrifice...

 

32. Intersectionality and Deep Listening - Natalja Kent

Continuing, artist Natalja Kent gives me space to talk white privilege, racism on the liberal left, and why NPR listeners are problematic in this intense conversation about cultural wounds. We don’t fix anything, but I feel better after having my frustrations heard and processed by a compassionate white person.

31. Somatic and Embodiment Practices - Natalja Kent

Artist Natalja Kent stops by to share her experience with embodiment practices, and introduces me to practical techniques like body scans and the supper aggressive sounding Feldenkrais method. I say the words Supple Leopard for some reason, and we set the stage for an intense, but constructive conversation about cultural wounds in next weeks show.

30. Atomic Age: Rise of the Proxy War - Jamie Hamilton

Continuing our conversation, Jamie Hamilton and I talk about the geopolitical strategies the US adopted during the Cold War, and the rise of the proxy war, before going on tangents about his last episode on Telematic Space, the pain of voting in the last midterm election, and why I think Donald trump is a Magician.

29. Atomic Age: Fast and Furious - Jamie Hamilton

Returning Guest Jamie Hamilton (Telematic Space) helps me go through some of my remaining notes on the Atomic Age. Not a Sequel, not a reboot, we cover entirely new information from the earlier series of episodes with the same name. So if you Jump in here, you won't be lost. We talk atomic cars, atomic tourism and project plowshare.

28. Gravity, Brands, and Kanye West Pt II - David Alekhuogie

Continuing our conversation David Alekhuogie wonders if social media is putting constraints on process by establishing parameters artists have to work well with to be seen on social media. Where is your home base? David offers alternative approaches to networking for those of us that don’t feel our work belongs in that space.

27. Gravity, Brands, and Kanye West Pt I - David Alekhuogie

Photographer David Alekhuogie talks about gravity in terms of personal momentum, brands as a statement of identity, and why Kanye West still matters to him.

26. Binge Watching, Insecurity and Tarot Card Readings Pt II - Yoshie Sakai

In the second half of our conversation, Yoshie Sakai and I talk about binge watching, art practice, and the history of Tarot Cards, but more importantly, I get a tarot card reading that hits close to home. We also have a little fun at the expense of painters, but we love you guys, and we are just jealous.

25. Binge Watching, Insecurity and Tarot Card Readings Pt I - Yoshie Sakai

Artist and Bar Fund LA Grant Recipient Yoshie Sakai talks about the good and bad experiences she's had with psychics, how to pick the right one for you, and the dangers of getting addicted, while making me laugh uncontrollably.

24. Queer in Kansas - Peter Max Lawrence

Continuing  our conversation, @petermaxlawrence and I go on tangents about zines, art school, and growing up gay in 1990's Kansas. Also, Is Donald Trump a batman villain?

23. 90s Indie and Super Hero Comics - Peter Max Lawrence

Artist Peter Max Lawrence talks comic books and queer identity, as we get into the artists, writers, and characters that guided us through puberty in the 90s.

22. A History of Playgrounds - Zach Kleyn

Artist and Play Consultant @zachkleyn discusses the history of playgrounds, early childhood development, toxic vs healthy masculinity, and how to live a more playful life.

21. Play - Zach Kleyn

Artists @zachkleyn talks about early childhood development and how play types established between the ages of 2 and 5 years old affect our adult interactions. Using his post graduate degrees in art and psychology, Zach’s company @climbplaymountain helps adults relax and reintroduce creative play into their lives. We also talk about Julia Margaret Cameron’s practice, and her book The Artists Way, as we address some of the existential challenges artists face when they accept they have to make art to feel right.

20. Screens and Their Conditions Pt II - Nathan Gulick

Artist Nathan Gulick and I continue our discussion, and get into how access to resolution is becoming indicative of social class. As Augmented Reality becomes more common, how will our subscription to services affect our perception of reality compared to those who use a different company for the same services? We also consider the size of the generational gap between Baby Boomers and Millenials in relation to exponential rate of technological evolution, and imagine a near future where algorithm made deep fake images will change the trust we have in photographs.

19. Screens and Their Conditions Pt I - Nathan Gulick

Artist Nathan Gulick stops by to talk about the conditions inherent in the screens we interact with. We discuss how the history of photography is evolving now that imagry is consumed primarily through screens and more people than ever have access to cameras.

also, so as not to drive you crazy, the photographers who's names I can't think of on this episode are Nikki S. Lee, and Roger Fenton.

 

Corrections:

1. The picture of the nanny was taken by Robert Frank, not Gary Winnogrand. 

18. Identity Politics Pt II - Josh Steichmann

Photographer Josh Steichmann and I look at the 2016 election as we continue to discuss the importance of Identity Politics, and why rational centrists are not the most compelling candidates.

17. Identity Politics Pt I - Josh Steichmann

Photographer Josh Steichmann breaks down Identity Politics.

16. Bodies and the Politics of Presence - Zoya Sardashti

Zoya Sardashti talks about Judith Butler’s writing on forming assembly, and shows us how dependent we are on the other when building our individual identities.

15. Immigration Law - Mark Prada

I talk to old friend, and immigration lawyer Mark Prada. We learn that the immigration court has no Judicial independence, and is not subject to checks and balances. “At any point Jeff sessions can snatch your case in front of him and change the law.”

14. Telematic Space - Jamie Hamilton

Artist Jamie Hamilton stops by to discuss his upcoming article for Vasari21 on Telematic Space. Jamie shows us how little we understand the structure of the internet and our relationship to agregatiors of content like Google and Facebook. In this episode we get new insights into topics we've covered on the show by talking about the technologies that influence our experience. To Jaimie the idea that humanity will become useless as artificial intellligence takes our place seems unlikely and indicative of a fundamental missunderstanding of how dependent AI is on data sets generated by people. 

13. Platonic Love - Gaea Woods

Gaea Woods, photographer, therapist, and host of Soulfriend Radio, gives us a break from the string of Scifi episodes to talk about friendship. We talk about how to make friends in Los Angeles, and how to maintian non-romantic intimate relationships. Is some one still your friend, if you haven't spoken in years? Gaea shows us how important these skills are, and that lonliness isn't necessarily a function of how many friends you have.

We also continue to celebrate Maiden LA, which is a Los Angeles wide artwalk open to anyone who wants to submit a project/event/open studio.

12. The Technological Singularity - Live from Cirrus Gallery - Molly Schulman, and Brice Bischoff

Artists Molly Schulman, Brice Bischoff, and I discuss the hypothesis that by 2045 exponential progress in bioengineering, nanotechnology, and robotics will lead to an Artificial Super Intelligence with the ability to self-replicate and evolve. Some versions of this future imagine robots the size of atoms boosting immune systems and cleaning the environment, while others predict a scenario in which the same robots attack the biosphere and destroy all life in a matter of days. Will humans become extinct, or immortal by merging with machines? 

11. The Atomic Age Part II: Atoms for Peace

10. The Atomic Age Part I: the Proto Atomic Era

9. Stream of Consciousness 2: Random Conversation is Not Interesting

On today’s episode, we read our first review, look into our futures, and fantasize about laying down a sick bunt.

8. Universal Basic Income, the Precariat, and the Philosopher Billionaire

On today's show Javi talks with special guest Sue Ellen Stone about UBI, and more.

7. Stream of consciousness 1: Unencumbered Toss

Seth and Javier have an unscripted chat about backpacks, fish in creeks, and needy appeals for fan fiction.

6. Forbidden Fruit

On today’s episode: We learn that @sethlower is an encyclopedia of fruit knowledge before diving deep into lesser known Forbidden Fruit myths. What other objects have Gods used to tempt mortals, and why does Seth say the word MacGuffin more times in this ep than you’ve heard it in your life? Check out episode 11 Forbidden Fruit to find out!

5. Isaiah Berlin’s Two Concepts of Liberty and Why Philosophy Matters

On today’s episode: We finally get to Isaiah Berlin’s Two Concepts of Liberty. What do supporters of gun and reproductive rights have in common? They both define freedom in the negative sense, a relatively new interpretation of liberty. We provide examples of both negative and positive freedom to show it’s not as simple as saying one is liberal and one is conservative. We also discuss why philosophy matters, and define the role of the moral philosopher in the context of value pluralism/moral relativism. The most referenced concept in the podcast is finally addressed!

4. Lucid Dreaming Part III

On today’s episode: We leave the lab, and enter the dreamscape to ask “who is the dreamer?” LaBerge shows us that our consciousness is contained within, and always at the center of a multi-faceted sensory experience. We also ask how much control over a dream is possible, describe the mutual dreaming phenomenon, and wax philosophical/metaphysical about the science we covered in Pt I & Pt II. Lucid Dreaming Pt III is out, and the trilogy is complete!