In our final episode of Apologies & Atonement, we look at a local example of institutional apologies and speak with Sofia Hernández Chong Cuy, director of Kunstinstituut Melly. Since 2018, Sofia is the director of Melly, the institution formerly known as Witte de With Center for Contemporary Art in Rotterdam. Witte de With is a name attached to the colonial legacy of the Netherlands and has been a subject of contention in the Dutch art world. 

In this episode, we speak with Sofia about the institutional transformation that comes with a name change, how she and her team navigated the politics inside and outside of the institution, and the role that humour should have in the art sector.

Hosted by Yun Lee and Rae Parnell

References:

In episode 3 of “Apologies and Atonement”, We talk to social healer Lucas Johnson about his approach to nonviolence, the complexity of reconciling / healing from colonial pasts, and what it takes to build a future together.

We learn about how to think about non-violence as a muscle to be built, the role faith can have in conflict resolution, and how to show up bravely in all of our relationships.

Hosted by Yun Lee and Rae Parnell

References:

Corporations have given some notoriously bad apologies. So for this episode, we invited corporate lawyer Roy Heesakkers to think with us on corporate apologies in the context of environmental, social and human rights transgressions. Roy encourages us to think about how we can participate in corporate reform, how we as communities can hold corporations accountable, and how to engage in these topics with nuance and complexity.

Hosted by Yun Lee & James Rae Parnell

References:

We are all taught that apologies are important to resolve conflicts. They have an important function in our society- in personal relationships, between governments and citizens, corporations and consumers, celebrities and fans.

But so often people are criticized for making bad apologies. In this BARTALK, we wonder: what makes a good apology? What are models of seeking atonement for your actions? What does justice look like for historical wrongdoings? What does it take to accept an apology?

In this episode Yun Lee talks to co-host James Parnell about interpersonal conflict, cancel culture, and why sorry seems to be the hardest word.

Hosted by Yun Lee

References: 

Buy a copy of Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word 

This is our very edition of BARTALK "Flashback" - a podcast episode where we invite guests from a past BARTALK to hear about how their work has developed since we last spoke.

As we descend into more COVID lockdowns and regulations, we thought it might lift our spirits to check in with some of the guests from our party crew from earlier this year. In this episode, Bogomir Doringer and Amber Vineyard discuss how party scenes and their own work have adapted and changed since we last spoke.

We chat about illegal parties in the parks of Berlin, the pros and cons of the Unmute Us protests, how their roles as artists and organizers are shaped by the back and forth of government regulations, and what Bogomir and Amber have learned from the lockdowns.

Follow the work of Amber and Bogomir.

Read transcription of the podcast here. 

Hosted by Yun Lee and James Rae Parnell

Produced by Hans Poel

Theme music by Sro - Bring Back and Chad Crouch - Algorithms

In the final episode of our translation and transcription season, we speak with artist Vivian Caccuri about her work listening to, synthesizing, and translating the sounds of the mosquito. We explore how and why mosquitos make their infamous sound, how colonialism has impacted species of mosquitos, how governments have politicized the image of the mosquito, and the beauty of researching socially stigmatized sounds. 

Read the transcription of this episode here

Hosted by Yun Lee and Rae Parnell

In episode 3 of Translation / Transcription, we talk to translator Xavier Bridault about his work as a translator, how legal parameters affect some translations, the mechanics of humour, how AI translators affect the ways we use and understand languages, how translation is used as a political tool, and how brands like McDonalds are translated to different cultural contexts.

Read the transcription of this episode here

Hosted by Yun Lee and Rae Parnell

In the second episode of Translation / Transcription, dancer and graphic designer Karina Dukalska shares her research on archiving dance in graphic notation. We talk about social dance, notation systems, preserving the cultural values of a dance and more.

Read the transcription of this episode here

Back It Up

Season 4! BARTALK looks into translation and transcription as creative practices. How does technology affect how humans translate? What are the politics of transcribing social dance as visual scores? What happens when we translate between species? What decisions are made in translation and who makes them? What is lost and gained in these translations?

Hosted by Yun Lee and Rae Parnell

You can find more of Ahnjili’s projects here, and see her AI art here

References:

On the use of artificial intelligence in the Dutch judicial branch

Pablo Celayes - Activists turn facial recognition tools against the police

In the final episode of this season on parties, we talk to hostess, performer and pioneering mother of Dutch ballroom Amber Vineyard about her background from humble beginnings running off to raves in California to running her own entertainment agency. Amber also shares stories and knowledge on how to conduct energy in a room, how she comes up with her looks, how door policies can help create atmosphere, how to have difficult conversations about inclusivity when planning an event, and how to lay down the law while keeping the party going.

Instagram: @bartalk.dh

Hosted by Yun Lee and Rae Parnell

This BARTALK episode is made possible with the generous support of Mondriaanfonds and was recorded at WORM Rotterdam