“Going Green and the SouthKenGreenTrail - a greener infrastructure for a sustainable metropolis”. A podcast with artist Natalie Taylor, the architecture and design collective Urban Radicals and landscape architect Adam Harris.

Talking Culture

A Greener Infrastructure for a Sustainable Metropolis

Notes from a Grown-Up Country

With Brexit in the rear view, the decades-long discussion and debate about the role and purpose of the European Union has taken on a new urgency. In this episode, we ask two young intellectuals–one from the UK and one from Germany–to reflect on what Europe means to them. Alice Boyd is a composer, theater maker and environmental campaigner from the UK. Simon Strauß is a German historian, writer and journalist. Both were born into the European Union and have used their work to think critically about what it means now and what it can mean.

What Does it Mean to Be European?

Art has the power to change the world by highlighting critical issues, but what responsibility does the art world have to make their own changes and take inventory of internal practices that are unsustainable or inequitable, to address the environmental cost of putting on exhibitions? In this episode, Iwona Blazwick, Director of the renowned Whitechapel Gallery in East London, grapples with these questions on the future of museums and galleries. Transcript available at goethe.de/uk/podcast

Leading the Art World Towards Sustainability

The creative writing of Black feminist authors has revolutionary potential. It challenges dominant assumptions and expands the horizons of the current literary audience. In this episode, activist and author Sharon Dodua Otoo honours her literary ancestors and mentors, condemns the racist structures that deprived them of deserved praise during their lifetimes, and explores how Black feminist creative writing can move our society forward. Transcript available at goethe.de/uk/podcast

“Some Kind of Tomorrow:” Honoring the Visions of Black Feminist Creative Authors

Now, as the world is facing a new economic crisis, how could the arts and civil society benefit from blockchain technologies? Hear from artists, curators, technologists and researchers who are using blockchain to revolutionise their way of working. This episode features Ruth Catlow, artistic director of Furtherfield, Ben Vickers, CTO at the Serpentine Galleries, and artist collectives from Berlin to Moscow who are part of the DAOWO Global Initiative. Transcript available at goethe.de/uk/podcast

Why Artists are Working with Blockchain to Reinvent the Arts

One month into the first lockdown of 2020, we called Kris Nelson, Artistic Director and CEO at LIFT:the London International Festival of Theatre, to find out how theatres and their people were surviving. In this episode, we’re returning to that conversation because it captures a unique moment in the pandemic upheaval, and we’re calling Kris once again–a year later–to find out what has changed and how his predictions for theatre have shifted. Transcript available at goethe.de/uk/podcast

Why Theatre Matters More Than Ever

A special preview of the new and improved Talking Culture. Episode 1 will be available on 28 April. Talking Culture is a platform for thought-provoking discussions about the future of Europe, the UK, and the world. Through fascinating interviews with thinkers and doers in the arts and culture sector, this show investigates how creative fields are emerging from the tumultuous present into the future. What role will culture play in a post-Brexit, post-COVID-19, post-colonial world? And how can it contribute to a future that prioritises sustainability, collaboration, diversity, and inclusion? From the Goethe-Institut London, this is a podcast about the critical role and value that arts and culture have in our societies.

Talking Culture: A Futures Podcast (Trailer)

Even though it’s still a nascent technology, the blockchain is slowly changing the arts. It’s not only inspired artworks – it could also change the way artists work and has the potential to decentralise the money and power in the art world. In 2008, when the Global Financial Crisis was plunging the world into economic disaster, Bitcoin was invented – a decentralised, digital currency that bypassed traditional central banks. Bitcoin ran on the Blockchain – a permanent, private and open way of administering financial transactions. In the years since, a growing number of people began thinking about how blockchain technology might transform arts and culture. Now, as the world is facing a new economic crisis, how could arts, culture and civil society benefit from the blockchain? Hear from artists, curators, technologists and researchers who are using blockchain to revolutionise their way of working. This episode features Ruth Catlow, artistic director of Furtherfield, Ben Vickers, CTO at the Serpentine Galleries, and collectives from Berlin to Moscow, who form the DAOWO Global Initiative, part of the DAOWO blockchain laboratory and debate series: www.goethe.de/daowo

Why the Blockchain Revolutionises the Arts

In this episode, we are speaking to British composer & theatre maker Alice Boyd and German historian & journalist Simon Strauß and ask them: What role does Europe play in your lives? Is your generation sceptical of Europe? And how does Brexit affect you? Europe consists of many different stories – personal stories of people from different generations. In this talk, we are discussing Europe from the perspective of young European intellectuals and creatives. Alice Boyd and Simon Strauß are involved in the project “European Archive of Voices” which collects interviews of well-known Europeans born before 1945. Their work is integral to the Goethe-Institut’s project “Tell Me About Europe” taking place during the German EU Council Presidency 2020: www.goethe.de/tellmeabouteurope

Why young people need to preserve Europe

Shipping works of art, frequent international travel or single-use exhibition materials makes sustainability a pressing issue in the art world. Another dimension of sustainability in the arts and cultural sector is the role of women. How are female leaders using their voice to drive a sustainable future both within and outside the sector? In the third episode of Talking Culture, Iwona Blazwick talks about sustainability in the art and cultural world and discusses why women's histories and awareness might make them “more alive to the climate crisis and how to battle it.” The director of the Whitechapel Gallery has also been participating in the Goethe-Institut’s “Women in Culture Network,” where an international group of female leaders shares aspects of female leadership and empowerment.

Why women may hold the keys to a sustainable future

Covid-19 is only one of the most recent challenges for theatres and festivals worldwide. The rise of right-wing parties have created mistrust and misunderstanding towards the performative arts sector in many countries. Why does theatre matter right now? The second episode of “Talking Culture” welcomes Kris Nelson for an exclusive interview. The Artistic Director and CEO at LIFT, London International Festival of Theatre, and the Goethe-Institut London invited a number of theatre and festival directors to the first workshop of “Dramatic Episodes” at the end of 2019. The series “Dramatic Episodes” looks at the future role of theatre in civil society: goethe.de/uk/podcast

Why theatre matters right now

A lecture by author and broadcaster John Kampfner who focused on his forthcoming book provocatively titled “Why the Germans Do It Better. Lessons from a Grown Up Country.” The event took place on 4 December 2019 as part of the annual Brady Lecture series at the Goethe-Institut London.

Why the Germans Do It Better

Engage with current social and cultural debates worldwide and listen to the most exciting talks, debates and exclusive interviews at the Goethe-Institut London - now available in our podcast “Talking Culture.” Renowned cultural practitioners will share their take on topics such as Europe, feminism or post-colonialism. The episodes will give insight into worldwide perspectives on contemporary discourse in culture and society. The Goethe-Institut has been the first point of contact with Germany and the German language for people around the world for nearly seventy years. As the cultural institute of Germany, we foster international cultural exchange and enable cultural involvement in over 100 countries worldwide. In London we attract a public interested in culture and education. Our venue is located on Exhibition Road, with nearby access to world class institutions. Find out more on our website: goethe.de/uk

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Talking Culture

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