In the Studio

What do you get when you put a Danish artist group together with oceanographers, material scientists, and marine biologists? The answer is an idea which might just change the way we imagine and design our environments in response to rising sea levels.

As warnings about the effects of global warming escalate, Superflex – an art group founded by Jakob Fenger, Bjørnstjerne Christiansen and Rasmus Nielsen in 1993 – have been working on a long term project to imagine a world where the original function and aesthetics of our carefully designed world may be lost to the tide.

Commissioned by TBA21-Academy, the project is called Deep Sea Minding and it considers whether it’s possible to design and create structures that could serve the needs and desires of both humans and marine life.

So in their headquarters in Copenhagen, the team at Superflex are mixing concrete and amino acids together to see whether they can create bricks to make houses and schools which can be occupied by humans first and then fish. They’re also preparing a prototype structure to be placed on the seabed to test the responses of fish to this new material.

Over the course of nine months Laura Hubber joins Rasmus Nielsen from Superflex for one leg of their epic journey – taking in California, Copenhagen and Jamaica – and meeting a Mermaid along the way.

In this special festive edition of In The Studio, Glyn Tansley goes behind the façade of the Vatican to meet the members of the oldest choir in the world, as they prepare for the biggest night on their calendar.

The Sistine Chapel Choir has a history dating back 1500 years, but it’s still one of the most active cultural institutions at the very heart of the Vatican.

It also has the prestige of being the Pope’s personal choir, performing for him whenever he’s in St Peter’s Basilica. As the Holy Father’s personal choir, it is called upon to play an ecumenical role, contributing to bringing together in art what has been separated by history and politics.

In their rehearsal room, we meet the men and boys who make up the choir as they prepare for Christmas mass, an event watched around the world by millions of worshipers. We’ll come to understand why being in this choir so important to them, and the pressures of being always on display through the Vatican’s global TV and radio services.

This is a rare glimpse into the real lives at the heart of an ancient tradition.

For this special Christmas episode, In the Studio goes on a journey with one of the world's most renowned iconographers. Not just to witness the creation of a beautiful painting - but to witness a transformation. The moment a physical image becomes a religious icon - a prayer in paint that, for the faithful, acts as a door between heaven and earth.

Aidan Hart, a former hermit and Greek Orthodox monk whose icons you will find all over the world in churches and private collections - including that of Prince Charles - will paint an icon to celebrate the season of Advent.

Phil Pegum joins Aidan in rural England for five days as he paints a Christmas icon, and shares the secrets of the art form by explaining their symbolism and strange perspectives.

The makers of James Bond's car are entering new territory. Aston Martin, the British manufacturer usually associated with 007's sports car, are launching their first family motor - an SUV.

In The Studio has gained exclusive access to the design and manufacturing process. Presenter Andy Jaye joins Head of Design, Marek Reichman, in his studio, follows the car through rigorous testing, and finally, sees it launched to the public.

Architect Adrian Smith designs the world’s tallest towers. How does he use his creativity to develop new designs for each of these buildings, and how does he ensure each building fits within the cultural landscape of the city or land in which it will be constructed?

Adrian Smith’s name and company, Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill Architecture, is synonymous with tall buildings. Millions of people flock to the observation decks of Adrian’s buildings every year, desperate to get a glimpse of a city skyline from its highest point, and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is now firmly in the top ten list of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.

In Adrian’s studio in Chicago, Eleri Llian Rees sets out to discover what motivates and inspires the man who has created modern day wonders of the world. Adrian describes how he is working creatively with his team at the moment to design a new building for Nanjing, China, incorporating the geography of the land into the design to make it unique.

Adrian tells us that collaboration is at the heart of the firm’s work, knowing that designs can change – sometimes significantly – throughout the construction process, and reveals the surprising part played by small chisels and super glue in creating the majestic art of the skyscraper.

Adrian is a fascinating character, a visionary at the cutting edge of his chosen field, pushing the boundaries of architectural possibility with awe-inspiring imagination.

You might think the aim of most artists and performers is to stand out from the crowd, but not Peruvian-born Cecilia Paredes. Her aim is to blend in, quite literally.

In her series of ‘camouflage’ self-portraits, Cecilia’s body is painstakingly painted - during a ‘performance’ which lasts many hours - to precisely match a colourful and patterned wallpaper or fabric in the background.

The resulting photograph challenges the viewer gaze, to seek out Cecilia’s form from the scene behind. It is an idea which began 20 years ago, when Cecilia first arrived in the United States and found herself trying to blend in.

Céline Ottenburgh finds the camouflage artist amongst a crowded airport, and accompanies her as she goes in search of the perfect wallpaper for her latest project, amongst the walls of an 18th century castle in Belgium.

Pretty Yende is a young South African opera singer at the top of her game. Having enjoyed a meteoric rise performing in opera houses internationally, this autumn she took on the lead role of Violetta in Verdi's 'La Traviata' at Paris Opera. In this ‘In the Studio’, the cellist Abel Selaocoe talks to her about her preparations for the role, follows her as the challenging production takes shape, and meets her after her triumphant first performance to find out what it means to her.

Imagine huge searchlights which can be seen over a ten mile, 15 kilometer radius talking to one another across two countries. This is exactly what electronic media artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer is creating this November between Ciudad Juárez in Mexico and El Paso in Texas.

Called Border Tuner, the project will see enormous bridges of light connecting the US-Mexico border for the first time.

When lights from the stations (three on each side) are directed at each other and they manage to make a connection, a massive bridge of light is formed. This activates microphones and speakers allowing participants to communicate with one another across the border. The “light bridge” flickers like morse code as the participants listen and speak to one another. If they don’t like what they are hearing they can retune to a different light beam.

This is not the first time Rafael Lozano-Hemmer has used search lights in his art but he’s never done anything on this scale or with this complexity before. Born in Mexico City in 1967, he first produced a remote-controlled searchlight project in 1999 for the Zócalo Square in Mexico City. Since then he has created installations in dozens of cities around the world where the public controls the searchlights using the internet, mobile phones, megaphones or heart rate sensors.

Jeff Staple is an acclaimed American fashion and graphic designer, founder of New York Design agency Staple Design, Staple Clothing and Reed Space boutique. He has collaborated and released lines with brands such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Oakley, Uniqlo, PUMA and Clarks. He serves as Creative Director for TGS Holdings, Inc - an innovative group of retail outlets.

As a designer he is respected for his keen eye and his dynamic yet practical and diligent approach. We get an exclusive insight into Jeff’s design philosophy, approach and process, as we spend time with him in his studio in New York City, whilst he works on his collaborative release with leading footwear titan, Timberland.

In addition, we hear from key figures within the industry about what makes Jeff and his work so iconic. These contributors include Chris McGrath (Vice President, Timberland Global Footwear Design), Rob Stone (Co-Founder of Cornerstone and The Fader), Sophia Chang (Illustrator), Upscale Vandal (Consultant - Roc Nation / PUMA / Billionaire Boys Club) and Bernie Gross (Artistic Director, Extra Butter).

The show is presented by Bobbito Garcia, the New York based critically acclaimed author, award-winning film-maker, presenter and DJ.

Known in the UK as Strictly Come Dancing and across the globe as Dancing with the Stars, this BBC brand is known for pairing celebrities with professional dancers, having their performances scrutinised by a panel of judges and allowing the public to vote for their favourite. This autumn the show is being created for the first time in Myanmar. What does it take to bring this format to a new audience and create the programme from scratch?

The venture is the passion project of French brothers Henri and Benoit de Lorme. They’ve already brought formats like Masterchef to the country. But dancing is a very different proposition, and in Myanmar there are many cultural sensitivities to be aware of. One is around the design of the costumes, where the need to create something flamboyant which works for camera also needs to take into account local sensitivities around how much flesh can be exposed.

It’s also a challenging country to work in as the media companies are still in their infancy and there are shortages of people with the necessary skills to realise these big projects.

In addition there is the deadline to build the set, the process of getting the celebrities and new judges trained and the last minute cast changes. With so much to do in a short space of time, it’s going to be a challenge to get everything in place by the first broadcast.

Ali Fowle follows the show as it evolves and finds out how the de Lorme brothers work together - and what legacy they plan to create.

This is an updated version of the podcast - edited to correct a minor factual error.