99 Questions Podcast

En el tercer episodio de nuestra serie, vamos a escuchar las voces de las tejedoras que forman parte de Textiles Semillas. Qué es el tejido para ellas, qué sienten al tejer y cuál es el sentido de reunirnos. Conversaremos, también, sobre el sentido que tiene para ellas nuestra Unión. Desde las tierras bajas, los grupos que forman parte de la Unión son Silät, del chaco salteño; las Teleras de Atamisqui y las Teleras de Huilla Catina, de Santiago del Estero; Achalay Tejidos, de Niogasta y las Randeras de El Cercado, ambos de Tucumán. Los grupos de las tierras altas, de montaña, son Warmipura, de Tafí del Valle en Tucumán; Flor de Altea y Flor en Piedra, de los Valles de Altura jujeños; cooperativa La Pachamama de Amaicha del Valle en Tucumán; Tinku Kamayu, de Santa María en Catamarca; Tejedoras de Quilmes, de Quilmes en Tucumán y Tejedores Andinos, de Huacalera en Jujuy.  Las voces de las tejedoras, bordadoras, teleras, hilanderas, expresan la importancia que tiene para ellas seguir tejiendo, seguir trabajando, por qué lo hacen, cuáles son sus deseos y dónde reside su dicha.  

Textiles Semillas es una unión de tejedoras, artistas y activistas del noroeste argentino, surgida a partir de un proyecto del programa 99 Questions del Humboldt Forum. El podcast, con tres episodios, narra la formación de esta unión, que reúne un amplio espectro de prácticas textiles, reflejando las memorias de la región, desde los Andes hasta el Gran Chaco. 

El podcast es producido y presentado por María Gabriela Cisterna, con diseño de sonido de Gustavo Obligado, y la asistencia de Carla Abilés, Andreas König y Sebastián Erdman. Agradecemos especialmente a las tejedoras de los doce grupos que hicieron posible este trabajo. 

 More Information https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/textiles-semillas/ 

En el segundo episodio de nuestra serie, vamos a conversar sobre los orígenes de Textiles Semillas y el acompañamiento y cultivo de los procesos desde el universo del arte, del nacimiento de la Unión de tejedoras, artistas y activistas del Noroeste argentino y de la potencia y el cuidado de la semilla que germina. Conversaremos sobre los orígenes de Textiles Semilla como proyecto artístico intercultural y su crecimiento en Unión, sobre la idea fundamental de crecer al juntarnos y cómo esa noción se expresa en los afectos y en el deseo de continuar reuniéndonos. 

Textiles Semillas es una unión de tejedoras, artistas y activistas del noroeste argentino, surgida a partir de un proyecto del programa 99 Questions del Humboldt Forum. El podcast, con tres episodios, narra la formación de esta unión, que reúne un amplio espectro de prácticas textiles, reflejando las memorias de la región, desde los Andes hasta el Gran Chaco. 

El podcast es producido y presentado por María Gabriela Cisterna, con diseño de sonido de Gustavo Obligado, y la asistencia de Carla Abilés, Andreas König y Sebastián Erdman. Agradecemos especialmente a las tejedoras de los doce grupos que hicieron posible este trabajo. 

 More Information https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/textiles-semillas/ 

En el primer episodio de nuestra serie, vamos a conversar sobre el contexto general de las tejedoras y sus haceres, del conocimiento de los dedos, de las manos, de las posibilidades de pensar diferente, de vincularse con los objetos de maneras contra hegemónicas y de ser tejedora como un modo de relacionarse con el mundo y sus seres. Del textil como un sujeto multívoco que reúne ciencia, tecnología, epistemología, lenguaje. Para eso, nuestras invitadas son Elvira Espejo y Celeste Valero.  

Textiles Semillas es una unión de tejedoras, artistas y activistas del noroeste argentino, surgida a partir de un proyecto del programa 99 Questions del Humboldt Forum. El podcast, con tres episodios, narra la formación de esta unión, que reúne un amplio espectro de prácticas textiles, reflejando las memorias de la región, desde los Andes hasta el Gran Chaco. 

El podcast es producido y presentado por María Gabriela Cisterna, con diseño de sonido de Gustavo Obligado, y la asistencia de Carla Abilés, Andreas König y Sebastián Erdman. Agradecemos especialmente a las tejedoras de los doce grupos que hicieron posible este trabajo. 

More Information https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/textiles-semillas/ 

Welcome to "Feminisms in the Museum", a five-part podcast series which explores different currents and schools of feminist thought, and aims to expand feminist perspectives on museum activities and experiences.

Throughout the series, host Jena Samura is joined by various artists, scholars and museum professionals who take a look at what feminism means to them and how feminist activism and thought shape the way they think about, and work with, museums.

From the museum entrance to its archives, from the programming of community projects to the stewarding of colonial collections, we ask: What would a feminist museum look like? How would it feel? How would it be designed and organized in its space and its structures? And what would its purpose be?

Due to feminism being, of course, a very wide topic, this series does not aim to be comprehensive — we will not cover feminism in all its different waves, interpretations, goals, strategies, and affiliations. Instead, "Feminisms in the Museum" aspires to share a variety of voices and perspectives that can broaden understanding of feminist thought, sharpen critical approaches to museum practice and inspire new models of knowledge sharing, storytelling, welcome and care.

“Feminisms in the Museum” is written and produced by Eliza Apperly and Alondra Meier. Sound design and editing by Benjamin Nash, Nora Mihle, Annelien Van Heymbeeck and Andreas König. Artwork by Diana Ejaita. Project curation by Michael Dieminger. Project management by Selina McKay.

Our podcast is part of the 99 Questions programme at Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss. For more information and show notes, visit https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/programm/digitales-angebot/digital-en/feminisms-in-the-museum-109860/.

For this episode, we are joined by Va-Bene Fiatsi, curator, mentor, artistic director, and self-described “artivist” based in Kumasi, Ghana. Also known as crazinisT artisT, Va-Bene tells us about her artistic investigation of gender stereotypes, identity politics and anti-black as well as anti-queer violence, and how she uses performance and installation to bring these themes into public institutions and spaces. We hear how Va-Bene’s experiences as a trans woman inform her practice and learn how she foregrounds her own body in her work to push institutional boundaries and confront prejudice and marginalization, while exploring her own vulnerability and emotions. With a portfolio of performances around the globe, Va-Bene discusses how she navigates different contexts and histories, and also comments on what it is like to work in a climate of intensifying LGBTQ+ violence and discrimination in Ghana, with an anti-LGBTQ+ bill currently making its way through Ghanaian parliament.

“Feminisms in the Museum” is written and produced by Eliza Apperly and Alondra Meier. Sound design and editing by Benjamin Nash, Nora Mihle, Annelien Van Heymbeeck and Andreas König. Artwork by Diana Ejaita. Project curation by Michael Dieminger. Project management by Selina McKay.

Our podcast is part of the 99 Questions programme at Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss. For more information and show notes, visit https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/programm/digitales-angebot/digital-en/feminisms-in-the-museum-109860/.

In this episode, our guest is Poulomi Basu, a Kolkata-born and London-based artist who works at the intersection of art, activism, and technology – often inspired by ecofeminism. Together, we look at the interconnectedness of racial, gender and ecological issues experienced by women in the Global South and ask how women might embrace and transcend traditional gender roles in advocating for the planet. We explore the radical potential of care in forging solidarity and resistance and reflect on the importance of coalition building beyond the single artist or institution. Finally, we consider new ways of storytelling, such as virtual reality, and discuss how these immersive, embodied experiences can help to urge social, environmental and political change.

“Feminisms in the Museum” is written and produced by Eliza Apperly and Alondra Meier. Sound design and editing by Benjamin Nash, Nora Mihle, Annelien Van Heymbeeck and Andreas König. Artwork by Diana Ejaita. Project curation by Michael Dieminger. Project management by Selina McKay.

Our podcast is part of the 99 Questions programme at Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss. For more information and show notes, visit https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/programm/digitales-angebot/digital-en/feminisms-in-the-museum-109860/.

In this episode, we welcome Emelie Chhangur, director and curator of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. We learn how Emelie approaches the museum’s dual mandate as a public institution and pedagogical resource and how she has developed her experimental and participatory curatorial practice, including several feminist and decolonising initiatives. We explore in particular her concept of “in-reach”, which aims to transform institutions from within and to mobilise new kinds of relationships with surrounding communities. We also discuss Emelie’s development of a major expansion and renovation project at the Agnes and consider how new museum architectures can allow new stories, care practices and social imaginaries to emerge. Finally, as we reflect on the important distinction between access and trust, we ask how the museum can ensure space for Indigenous self-determination and become a home for entities, practices and temporalities that are, from Indigenous worldview, alive and breathing.

“Feminisms in the Museum” is written and produced by Eliza Apperly and Alondra Meier. Sound design and editing by Benjamin Nash, Nora Mihle, Annelien Van Heymbeeck and Andreas König. Artwork by Diana Ejaita. Project curation by Michael Dieminger. Project management by Selina McKay.

Our podcast is part of the 99 Questions programme at Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss. For more information and show notes, visit https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/programm/digitales-angebot/digital-en/feminisms-in-the-museum-109860/.

Together with artist and educator Celia Herrera Rodríguez, we dive into Chicana feminism. As Celia recalls her upbringing between Mexico and the United States, we explore how the Chicana feminist movement first emerged in the 1960s and how it encourages the unlearning of colonial and patriarchal constructions of, and restrictions on, women. Celia also tells us how the Chicana movement helped her in finding her voice and shaping her feminism. Besides, we learn about central aspects of Chicana feminism, including in-betweenness, cultural hybridity, ambiguity and resilience. We discuss the movement’s relationship to images and image-making, including the symbolism and reimagination of Mexican female figures and icons like La Llorona or La Virgen de Guadalupe. Celia shares how her own artistic practice incorporates Chicana themes and reflects on key figures and influences in the movement, such as Gloria Anzaldúa. Lastly, we hear about the ways in which Chicana feminist art has begun to occupy public and museum spaces and the necessity of transforming these spaces to accommodate Chicana time, materials and self-determination.

“Feminisms in the Museum” is written and produced by Eliza Apperly and Alondra Meier. Sound design and editing by Benjamin Nash, Nora Mihle, Annelien Van Heymbeeck and Andreas König. Artwork by Diana Ejaita. Project curation by Michael Dieminger. Project management by Selina McKay.

Our podcast is part of the 99 Questions programme at Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss. For more information and show notes, visit https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/programm/digitales-angebot/digital-en/feminisms-in-the-museum-109860/.

For the opening of this series, we are joined by Françoise Vergès, political scientist, writer, activist, and curator, who introduces us to decolonial feminism. Drawing on Françoise’s powerful manifesto “A Decolonial Feminism”, we explore how this framework can help us examine “white” or “civilizing” feminism’s blind spots, and complicity in enslavement, colonisation and racial capitalism. We discuss the importance of – and possible limitations to – an intersectional analysis of oppression and consider the perspectives that might be revealed by a multidimensional approach. Furthermore, by asking who cleans the world around us, Françoise encourages us to reflect on cleaning as essential labour to the functioning of the state, public institutions and infrastructure, and to consider the invisibility of those who do cleaning work – the majority marginalised and racialised women. Finally, we hear about Françoise’s own experience developing a “post museum” on Réunion island and discuss how decolonial feminism might reshape museum design and practice, encouraging us to move beyond objects, facilitate access to collections, think beyond big institutions in capital cities and ensure that different bodies and different ways of being all feel welcome in this public space.

“Feminisms in the Museum” is written and produced by Eliza Apperly and Alondra Meier. Sound design and editing by Benjamin Nash, Nora Mihle, Annelien Van Heymbeeck and Andreas König. Artwork by Diana Ejaita. Project curation by Michael Dieminger. Project management by Selina McKay.

Our podcast is part of the 99 Questions programme at Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss. For more information and show notes, visit https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/programm/digitales-angebot/digital-en/feminisms-in-the-museum-109860/.

As our podcast series is coming to an end, we meet with Dr. Sasha Engelmann, geographer, artist and lecturer in GeoHumanities at the Royal Holloway University of London. She talks with us about the military history of atmosphere and weather surveillance technologies. We also learn about alternative feminist and creative approaches to atmosphere and environmental knowledge-making. Together, we then take a closer look at her collaborative work on design justice tools for citizen-led air quality and pollution data in Villa Inflamable, or the “Flammable Town”, located next to the largest petrochemical facility in Argentina. Besides, we hear about Sasha’s and Sophie Dyer’s project „Open Weather“ exploring DIY satellite ground stations and the role of the (gendered) human body in weather and atmosphere imaging. Lastly, we explore the challenges of deconstructing existing power dynamics between teachers and students within universities.

This podcast is brought to you by Dr. Aouefa Amoussouvi and 99 Questions at Stiftung Humboldt Forum im Berliner Schloss. For more information, show notes and the podcast transcript, visit https://www.humboldtforum.org/en/programm/digitales-angebot/digital-en/decolonial-ecologies-76021/ . Image © Elia Diane Fushi Bekene, selflovetribute.com / Background Image: Sasha Engelmann & Sophie Dyer, "Image transmitted by satellite NOAA-19".