conscient podcast

• I’m wanting something from art, which I think is much deeper, is a re-imagination of what it means to be human. I feel like we've instrumentalized and trivialized art and actually lost its capacity to expand our thesis of how we imagine ourselves and the world around us. I asked that question because the economy that we've created around art may have actually distorted its capacity to disturb us and to challenge our imagination of selves, which I think is probably at the root of the crisis that we face, a much deeper structural challenge of pretty much how we imagine ourselves and how we imagine our relationship with the world and every route.  - Indy Johar, March 20, 2024, conscient podcast e163

On March 20, 2024 I had the privilege and pleasure of hosting a conversation on ‘how art can help defeat defeatism’ with colleagues from the Transition Innovation Group, an inclusive and generative space for active consideration of societal transition, co-hosted by Michelle Baldwin and Taryn Lucas with the transformation team at Community Foundation of Canada.

This group of social innovators meets every two weeks on Zoom and is dedicated to collectively reimagining an equitable and integrated view of the infrastructures needed for long-term societal transition for future generations. In other words, making the world a better place.

I’ve been part of the group since its early days and we often speak about the transformative power of art and culture : art as a form of social innovation. So what you’re about to hear is a 50 minute conversation between 20 or so participants from this group. 

You might know some of them. Present at this session were (and I hope I've not forgotten anyone) : Abdul Walid Azizi, Arlene Macdonald, Barbara Leckie, Carly Goodman, Cheryll Case, Emily Mercy, Graham Singh, Ian Prinsloo, Indy Johar, Jo Reynolds, Joanne Kviring, Laura Cozzi, Lesley Southwick-Trask, Louise Adongo, Malobi Elueme, Michelle Baldwin, Nishan Chelvachandran, Shannon Litzenberger, Stephen Huddart, Taryn Lucas and myself as facilitator (along with Michelle Baldwin who gave a hand when my computer stopped working for a few moments and I continued on my iphone).

You’ll hear responses to four questions : 

• Is writer Rebecca Solnit right in saying that ‘fighting defeatism is also climate work’?
• How can art and culture help those who are ‘frightened by the ecological crisis’?
• How has art helped you personally overcome difficult moments in your social innovation work and what artworks do you recommend to your peers?
• How can social innovation projects and institutions better integrate artists and cultural workers in their work?

Note: Abdul Walid Azizi's response was inaudible in the recording therefore he wrote a similar statement that I have added as a voiceover in this recording. Thanks to Walid for doing this. I appreciate his point about 'viewing art as both a language of representation and a collective memory of society underlines its importance in strengthening the relationship between the individual and society. However, in our society, which is increasingly dominated by material and monetary values, art seems to be on the verge of being sidelined. Nevertheless, one way to keep the arts alive is by incorporating them into different societal initiatives.'

As you’ll hear many interesting and unresolved issues were raised at this session such as : 

• The notion of permanency with art and how that relates to defeatism and our sense of time constructs and legacy.
• How do we rebuild the permission space for deeply philosophical art that challenges the core of our being ? 
• Will we recognize art when it shows up that reframes mindsets and how do we measure success ? 
• Life is art. It changes without breaking and allows us to break open and break in and break through without breaking us.
• What is it that we expect an artist or artists to do? What is the result of their work? And if they do that, are we willing to pay them?
• I think there's something really important in this conversation where we move beyond the idea of transaction based payment for art. I don't think art is a transaction and it operates across and beyond transactions to an economy of care and entanglements.

I suspect that we’ll have another session on art and social innovation again soon. As usual, I invite comments on any conscient podcast social media or to me [email protected].

Some of the links shared in the chat during the episode include :

• Ben Von Wong (artist referred to in this conversation)
• Bolder, faster, together: Perspectives on societal transition (co-ordinated by the Transition Innovation Group)
• Catalyst Community Finance (explainer on social finance)
• e160 shannon litzenberger - a culture of collective thriving (podcast interview)
• Indigenous Data Sovereignty & Indigenous Futures (featuring Jonathan Dewar, Sofia Locklear, and Jason Lewis Hosted by: Joanna Redden)
• Mysteries, Yes (a poem by Mary Oliver that was read during the session)
• REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH, DEMOCRATIZE POWER & SHIFT ECONOMIC CONTROL (an introduction to  Resonance 2nd Edition, a Just Transition guide for philanthropic transformation)
• State of Emergence: Why we need artists right now (an arts policy essay by Shannon Litzenberger)
• We can’t afford to be climate dommers by Rebecca Solnit

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END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026

• I think as musicians we have particular concerns that perhaps looking at those through an ecological lens can be helpful. One of them is to think about the structures of funding which allow us to operate and to maybe reconsider them because they might change. And to be open to that change and to find solutions. And those solutions might be that we need to advocate for other kinds of support, if we still want to advocate for support, or to engage in other types of activities to make a living. Maybe that sounds a little bit defeatist, but I am trying to think in a very pragmatic way about what might be helpful and useful to create a greater sense of security and happiness in the future.

Terri Hron’s work explores historical instrumental performance practice and repertoire, field recording, ceramics, movement, video, among other things. 

Besides composing and performing works for and with others, Terri, who lives in Montreal, produces performances, gatherings and events.

For example, when she was Executive Director the Canadian New Music Network (CNMN) she implemented a series of groundbreaking programs focusing on equity, pluralism, sustainability and accessibility including a more inclusive understanding of what new music could be. This was always an issue for me when I studied music in Montreal with ‘la musique contemporaine’, which was exciting but I found to be quite restrictive but now the field is opening up and Terri has played an important role in that widening of scope.

As you’ll hear in our conversation that Terri is passionate about the interconnections between music, social, ecological and labour justice and thankfully, is also able to remain calm in the eye of the storm, as she notes during our conversation :

• I think the only thing that I can do is to try and live with as much integrity as I can and, and avoid participating in the things that I consider to be the least aligned with my values.

At the end of our exchanges you’ll hear Terri recommend some of her favorite publications and artists

• The Master and his Emissary by Iain McGilchrist
• The Age of Insecurity by Astra Taylor
• The Flowering Wand by Sophie Strand
• Brain Forest Quipu by Cecelia Vicuña

Photo credit of cover photo of Terri Hron: Justine Latour

*

END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026

This is a special bilingual episode of the conscient podcast recorded on April 8, 2024 during the solar eclipse in Ottawa. The same  recording can be found on both the conscious podcast and the conscious podcast. Here is a transcript of what I said. 

This is a bonus episode of the conscient podcast.

It's 3.15pm Eastern Standard Time. I'm in Ottawa near the path of totality of the solar eclipse that's going to hit its peak in about 10 minutes. 

Un épisode spécial du balado conscient le lundi 8 avril 20024. On est à la veille d'arriver au point culminant de l'éclipse solaire ici à Ottawa, et j'ai pensé l'enregistrer pour vous. 

It's April 8th 2024. I am going to record the transition towards the peak at 3.25 pm and beyond to observe acoustically what changes. I would say the light is definitely decreasing and has been doing that for the last 20 minutes or so. But the soundscape, I don't know... Let's listen, I'll stop talking. Let's listen to the sound of the 2024 total solar eclipse in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 

Bonne écoute.

This is the peak. Voici le moment. (note: at 11 minutes in the recording)

Well that’s it. It’s sonically interesting because right around the peak, the birds started becoming much more active and it was very quiet before then so maybe the lesser amounts of light triggered something in their behavior. That's possible or it could also be random.

Donc il ne s'est pas passé grand-chose. Sauf que la vie était à la fois tranquille comme d'habitude, mais aussi animée avec les oiseaux qui, je ne sais pas trop pourquoi, se sont mis à chanter au moment clé à 3 h 25 de l'après midi lorsque le soleil était caché par la lune. Et de toute façon, c'est un bel exercice de méditation et d'écoute. Ce qui nous entoure, le ronflement, le chant des oiseaux, les sons des voisins. J'ai entendu une ou deux voix dire ‘it’s 2 minutes to’. Mais c’est tranquille et c'est bien parce que c'est un moment de.. Comment dire? 

It's a moment of great significance in the planetary cosmology, if you want and it's a moment where we, that we can all share depending on where you live in the world, but we can all be aware of other earth's and its cycles, and there's good things that can come from that. 

So this is the end of this episode. I will let it run for another couple of minutes. I thank you for listening and for sharing this soundscape recording of the 2024 solar eclipse from Ottawa on the unceded territory of Algonquin Anishinaabe peoples. 

Merci de votre écoute.

*

END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026

• 'It's kind of like sacred medicine or sacred plant medicine in a way where it meets you where you are, based on your intentions, on your setting, your relationships and everything. Where that space in between is the most powerful piece and it’s us holding the container and guiding people in certain directions. But then, here's the silence: go run with it and see what comes up for you'. - Kamea Chayne, host of the alchemize program and  the Green Dreamer podcast, March 28, 2024, conscient podcast e161

This is a special episode of the conscient podcast about Green Dreamer’s alchemize program, which is a ‘10-week audio-based program of daily creative prompts and imagination practices’. 

This episode features 4 of my fellow course participants: singer and music researcher annais linares, bass player and music researcher Ben Finley, climate educator Barbara Leckie, social innovator and educator Michelle Baldwin and myself in conversation with Kamea Chayne, host of the alchemize program and of the Green Dreamer podcast. I also want to mention that a 6th member of our alchemize circle, educator Dorina Husain, was not able to attend this recording on March 28th, 2024.

Our group of 6 alchemize participants met every Saturday morning during the course to discuss what we were experiencing and check in with each other. What you’re about to hear is our exchange with Kamea about our experience with alchemize and how it is, literally, transforming our lives.

Now, admittedly, the alchemize program is not specifically about art and the ecological crisis, as per the mandate of this podcast, however, this series of 40 creative exercises integrates all kinds of artistic and cultural practices - storytelling, drawing, soundscape composition, poetry, and much more - and I consider alchemize as a whole, to be a work of art. A work of art that you can come in and out of. A process that invites the participant, the learner, to both grow, and let go. 

This 55 minute exchange concludes the way we did at every Saturday alchemize circle meeting, with a moment of gratitude and an example of what brought us joy on that day. 

Please see https://www.greendreamer.com/alchemize for more information on the program. Big thanks to my alchemize circle colleagues, annais, Ben, Barbara, Michelle and Dorina and also warm thanks to Kamea and her team at Green Dreamer for their brilliant, generous and spirited work.

Spoiler alert: if you plan to take the alchemize program and prefer not to hear about some of the exercises then please listen to this episode AFTER you do alchemize. If, however, you want to know more about our experience with the course in order to better understand how it works, then listen to it before doing the program,..

*

END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026

• We are in a very unstable environment right now. We don't have to be change makers. Change is happening. It is happening quickly and the pace of change is accelerating. So this ‘plan and execute’ way of engaging with the world is less and less relevant. Building this capacity to play and improvise and allow for emergent possibilities to arise is a kind of new leadership capacity that makes more sense in the context of the world as it is in this moment. 

This is a follow up conversation with Shannon picking up on our exchange on December 8, 2021 in Tkarón:to, e90 shannon litzenberger – state of emergence : why we need artists right now.

Now let’s fast forward 2 and half years for a second conversation with Shannon this time about the impact of the state of emergency essay and an update on Shannon's latest projects. 

You’ll hear that Shannon’s perspectives are decidedly feminist, philosophical and socially conscious and are informed by her roots in Canada’s rural prairies which inspire her connection to land, environment, belonging, identity and place. 

When I sat down with Shannon in her home in Tkarón:to we talked about a new essay she is working on, which I’m excited about, on the theme of leadership at the end of the world but the conversation was not all gloom and doom, in spite of it being the end of the world as we know it. Quite au contraire, Shannon is working on developing a concept called ‘culture of collective thriving’ and she’s walking her talk. I know because I took a workshop with her and she’s integrating art practice in everything she does and so her belief in art is inspiring and I think very effective. 

I ask my guests for reading recommendations. Shannon suggested Embodied Activism : Engaging the Body to Cultivate Liberation, Justice, and Authentic Connection--A Practical Guide for Transformative Social Change by Rae Johnson and Rest is Resistance : a Manifesto by Tricia Hersey. 

Note: I mentioned Shannon’s conversation with Turn Out Radio host Nicole Inica Hamilton during our conversation. Here is the link : http://turnoutradio.com/.

*

END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026

• It's all about balance and moving away from perpetual growth mode. It's about understanding that if you're a tightrope walker, you can't stand still, because the minute you stand still, you fall off. So you have to move forwards, or backwards. There’s no qualitative judgment about whether it's better to move forward or backward. It doesn't matter. You can grow or you can shrink : it's all about balance. If you stay balanced, you'll survive.

A colleague recommended that I invite arts administrator and consultant Jane Marsland to a conscient podcast conversation.

I went to Jane’s website and read about her interest in developing ‘new approaches and methods of working to emphasize agile and adaptive organizational responses that are informed by knowledge of constant environmental changes’. Art and constant environmental changes sounded just right for this podcast.

Janes utilizes a process of working with arts organizations that she has learned through eighteen years of being affiliated with Arts Action Research in New York. Jane believes that each organization has a unique vision, point of view and way of working. The challenge is to learn how to discover, understand and reveal these unique qualities and processes.

I asked Jane about art and ecology and how she advises arts organizations on adaptation to complex issues like climate change. I also asked her about the end of the world (as we know it). I think you’ll be enchanted by her responses. 

When I asked what she reading or seeing these days she recommended 6 items:

• Climate Change and Other Small Talk, a series of short videos by Sunny Drake
• Combining by Nora Bateman
• Dancing at the Edge:Competence, Culture and Organization in the 21st Century by Maureen O’Hara and Graham Leicester
• Three Horizons: The Patterning of Hope - 2nd Ed by Bill Sharpe
• Transformative Innovation: A Guide to Practice and Policy for System Transition by Graham Leicester
• Who Do We Choose To Be? Facing Reality | Claiming Leadership | Restoring Sanity by Margaret Wheatley
• Ten Things to do in a Conceptual Emergency by Maureen O’Hara and Graham Leicester

*

END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026

• We're not just talking about saving the environment. What we're first and foremost trying to get people to do is care for the environment and you can't care for the environment unless you feel part of it, unless you feel attached to it, unless you can see outside the building and understand we're not living in bubbles. What I mean by bubbles, especially, is that we're not living in an individual bubble, that we have social responsibility, that we make connectivity with other people, building blocks for community, for betterment of, of various kinds.

Robert (Bob) Sirman served as director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts for 8 of my 21 years there. He had a distinguished career in the arts with the Canada Council, Canada’s National Ballet School, the Ontario Arts Council and Ontario’s first Ministry of Culture, among many other contributions. 

I wanted to speak with Bob because he has had a notable influence in my life in terms of engaging with art, ways of being in space (architecture, design), systems thinking and long term planning.

So we sat down at his home in Toronto and talked about art and ecology, aesthetics, the role of art in social change, his legacy as an arts leader and what kind of art inspires him (he mentioned photographer Edward Burtinski).

You’ll hear a story about a meeting between our staff green committee and Bob about the Council carbon footprint in 2007. Bob listened carefully and noted that the Council’s largest carbon footprint at the time was its energy inefficient building on Albert street. I was pleased to see that before he left as Director in 2014 that the Council had moved into, and remains, in a Gold, Class A LEED-certified building on Elgin St. in Ottawa.

I want to thank Bob for his many contributions to the arts in Canada and to the arts community. Many seeds were planted during his tenure that have blossomed, or might yet. 

There were many highlights for me, including Bob's very last statement about how ‘having the conversation again makes us focus and makes us think and pay attention to the things that we really care about.’.

I appreciate his statement about ‘how it's critical to empower artists to be able to choose freely the passions that they wish to pursue and to develop the skills and have the resources to actually connect with other people.’

*

END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026

• The most interesting part to me is to discover what we're not listening to and why we are not doing that. I think it's wonderful that I've had the chance to learn this listening from so early on where you're trained to listen to the environment and at that time it was more about listening to the sounds of the environment and critiquing them, analyzing them, trying to understand them. To me that subject has widened hugely and really has to do about listening in general and trying to understand why we are listening to things and why we're not listening to things. And so it becomes a political, social, cultural question on every level and when a society has a crisis, it's often really good to observe what we really don't want to listen to and who we are listening to and how we combine that. And I feel we are in a stage of real crisis right now. And that's why this subject matter has taken on great significance now. - Hildegard Westerkamp, March 5, 2024 conscient podcast e157

This is a special episode of the conscient podcast with 6 colleagues and friends from the Sonic Research Group at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver (this time with Milena Droumeva, Hildegard Westerkamp, Barry Truax, Julie Andreyev, Aaron Liu-Rosenbaum and myself). It's a group of 20 or so acoustic ecology researchers, activists and artists who get together every two weeks to talk about our practices and sound studies, and the things that interest us in and around the field of acoustic ecology and soundscape studies. 

I had the privilege of having five of my colleagues join me on a conversation about the theme of this year's podcast season: preparing for the end of the world as we know it (and the ‘as we know it’ part is really important) and creating the conditions for other worlds to emerge. That's the challenge that I've given myself and my guests this season.

I asked the group to think about the following set of questions: 

• How does ‘preparing for the end of the work (as we know it)’ apply in the context of acoustic ecology? How can our listening practices help us become more resilient in the face of the ecological crisis?
• How does ‘creating conditions for new worlds’ apply in acoustic ecology? How can listening and sound studies contribute to creating these conditions? What are some of the barriers for acoustic ecology to step up?
• How do any projects you are working on relate to this theme and how can this work be amplified?

Recommended reading and viewing in this episode include Jonathan Glazer's Zone of Interest film and Vanessa Andreotti’s Hopicing Modernity book.

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END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026

• I think that's what the arts contribute to these discussions. There's the possibility of that kind of emotional or embodied connection to things that, as I think these questions of climate and environment, come closer and closer to people's lives, right? We can think of the wildfire smoke here last summer, people experiencing flooding, hurricanes, wildfires, drought in real time... Through storytelling or sound or visual media, we can really feel that on an embodied level and that  is a really powerful starting point.

I first heard about Siobhan Angus through a Carleton University Climate Commons Noon for Now event on January 18, 2024 called Shifting Perceptions: Arts-based Approaches to Climate Justice, that I was unfortunately not able to attend. 

I was intrigued by the questions that this session was exploring, including ‘how do the arts contribute to climate justice’ and ‘how can art and artists reshape our perception of the world, helping us to collectively undertake the necessary actions to create a world worth living in?’

Ah… A world worth living in seems like a reasonable goal, doesn’t it. How can something as ephemeral as art help with that? 

So… I contacted Siobhan and she kindly agreed to speak with me about her work and some of the issues raised at this session.

Dr. Angus lives here in the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe and Algonquin nations, also known as Ottawa, and is an assistant professor of Media Studies at Carleton University, where she teaches courses in visual culture studies and the environmental humanities, with a focus on collections-based research and experiential learning. 

Siobhan comes from a family of social activists and specializes in the history of photography and the environmental humanities. Her current research explores the visual culture of resource extraction with a focus on materiality, labor, and environmental justice. Her new book, Camera Geologica: An Elemental History of Photography, published by Duke University Press, will be available during the spring of 2024.

Here is my conversation with Siobhan, starting with her background and ending with a book recommendation : Max Liboiron’s Pollution Is Colonialism.

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END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026

• I think artists can challenge us by showing our blind spots, in a way, educating us, but also inspiring us about what's possible, right? I think in SCALE we talk about re-authoring the world. That's what artists do. We re-author the world. We create alternative ways of even just thinking about what's desirable in the first place.

I first met novelist, playwright, poet, and essayist Sanita Fejzić in 2021 while we were both on the Mission Circle of SCALE, the Sectoral Climate Arts Leadership for the Emergency, where we had great debates about climate justice and the role of art in the climate emergency and you’ll hear more about this episode.

I also had the pleasure of doing sound design in 2023 for a series of short plays called Why Worry About Their Futures that Sanita produced for the Undercurrents festival here on unceded land of the Anishinaabe Algonquin nation, also known as Ottawa.

Sanita holds a PhD in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University where she articulated an artistic and political movement called ‘Peasant Futurisms’ and I think you’ll enjoy learning more about this. 

I love the way Sanita’s work simultaneously explores the future, past, and present by grounding peasant ways of knowing, relating, and being in the world. Maybe we’re all peasants, or have that potential?

You’ll also hear Sanita talk about a new radio play for the National Arts Centre as part of its Irresistible Neighbourhoods project.

Our conversations begin with her long journey from Sarajevo to Ottawa and concludes with a book recommendation: Rita Wong’s Forage and Undercurrent. 

*

END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026