Four Thought

Jay Owens argues that dust is a lot more interesting than we think, and we ought to pay more attention to it.

Jay has spent years researching dust, and produces a popular newsletter on the subject. In this fascinating Four Thought, recorded at the Design Museum in London, she shares some stories from the field of dust research that up until now have only been known to other 'dust people', as she calls her fellow dust researchers.

Producer: Giles Edwards.

Astrid Alben explains how only art and science together can help us appreciate complicated phenomena like moonlight.

Astrid is a poet and founder of the arts and science organisation, the PARS Foundation. In this meditative talk, she explains how bridging the artificial divide between science and the arts leads to a greater understanding of concepts as varied as moonlight, laughter and elasticity.

Producer: Giles Edwards.

Daniel Hahn, a judge for this year's Man Booker International Prize, asks what really makes a good book.

Producer: Giles Edwards.

Mark Breeze asks why architects haven't done more to design shelter for refugees. An architect himself, he tells us that his training was aimed at helping him come up with solutions to the toughest problems, yet none is tougher than finding a balance between impermanence, sustainability and low cost in homes for refugees. After visiting the so-called 'Jungle' camp in Calais and witnessing conditions there, Mark explains how he hopes to find a better framework for architects like him to help.

Producer: Giles Edwards.

Rowland Manthorpe explains why he thinks the quality of confidence is overrated and is more of a curse than a blessing.

"Far from being good for everything, confidence comes with its own set of priorities, not all of which fit the things we claim to want or need."

Producer: Sheila Cook.

Ellen Mara De Wachter says collaborative art or "co-art" offers new insights into human relationships and the role of sharing in society.

"The co-artists who were successful in their collaborations were those who recognised and valued difference within the group...The key was not to get over personal differences, but to value them as essential to the creative process."

Producer: Sheila Cook.

Franklyn Addo describes how witnessing a murder transformed his life. It made him all the more determined to help other young people from underprivileged backgrounds go to top universities, as he did, and to challenge stereotypes.

"There's so much more to talk about regarding council estates other than crime and anguish; more pertinent things, more celebratory things and more interesting things," he says.

Producer: Sheila Cook.

Writer Jonathan Stroud explains why he thinks ghost stories are good for you.

"While it may seem odd that it's pleasurable to be frightened, it's actually - like other activities that get the heart racing - a celebration of being alive. While so much around us is frankly mind-numbing, there's something pure and bracing about a nicely delivered scare."

Producer: Sheila Cook.

Jonnie Bayfield reflects on being the last generation to grow up in an analogue childhood.

"Looking back, I can see that no-one had any idea what the chemical, biological, or social ramifications of this burgeoning technology might be. In my school we had computer classes, but no-one ever suggested that intense use would lead to anything other than a personal and global liberation."

Producer: Sheila Cook.

Matt Hood says we need to raise the standards of teaching by treating it like a performance profession where techniques are honed in rehearsal rather than tried out "live" in front of a class.

"When we have low expectations of how complex teaching is, it translates directly into low expectations for how sophisticated training and development for teachers needs to be. As a result teachers learn less. That is a disaster."

Producer: Sheila Cook.