“Sculpture is an aesthetic language I use to bridge the gap between reason and emotion” -Adrien Segal

Artist and “data” sculptor Adrien Segal creates evocative work, in her Oakland, Ca studio, based on both the natural and human driven changes in our world. Whether she is graphing the tidal changes of the historic Sutro Baths in San Francisco to create the table-like Tidal Dadum series or reinterpreting fire progression chart data to elegantly display the fearsome power of forest fires in southern California, Adrien uses the aesthetic power of sculpture to inform. We nerd out on Episode 19 of Why Make? about some of the technology Adrien uses to make her work, including lidar and photogrammetry, and talk about how Adrien’s background as a furniture maker has helped to strengthen her progression into making sculpture.

Find out more about Adrien and her work at www.adriensegal.com

Please help support the podcast by becoming a patron on our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/whymakepodcast

As a new element of the Why Make? podcast, we are going to occasionally release snippets of our conversations with makers that for some reason or another ended up on the editing room floor… but, still make for a compelling discussion. We are calling these episodes Bonus Make, so please enjoy our first Bonus Make episode with Jason Schneider our guest in Episode 16 as he talks about his current work and collaborating with… cats?!?! Yep cats.

Please help support the podcast by becoming a patron on our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/whymakepodcast

Please help support the podcast by becoming a patron on our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/whymakepodcast

https://www.patreon.com/whymakepodcast

In this introduction to the 2020 season of Why Make? Robb and Erik talk about what’s new for 2020 including their new Patreon page to help fund production of the podcast, upcoming guests and of course life in these strange times of the corona virus and recording with their new remote podcasting platform Squadcast. They also share their thoughts on the first season of Why Make and what worked and what didn’t

A continuation of our wonderful conversation with wood turning luminary David Ellsworth. In this episode David talks about his transition from working in clay and resin to woodturning and creating functional objects and doing craft shows to focusing on one of a kind pieces and the art scene. Needles to say Robb and Erik spend some time discussing the whole art vs. craft dichotomy.

Part 1 of our conversation with woodturning luminary David Ellsworth. We discuss his origins as a sculptor working first polyester resin and then clay before become a woodturner and then get into a lively discussion of the nature of art vs. craft and his philosophy as a teacher.

It’s a host-on-host free for all! Well, no... it’s actually just a gritty and sticky conversation between two sawdust hogs. Robb Helmkamp takes the rare chance to interview Erik Wolken, his brother from another mother, in his studio in beautiful Chapel Hill, NC. 

In Episode 10 of Why Make? Erik talks about school, banging boxes, cartography, inspiration, restlessness and his transition from furniture to sculpture. 

WARNING to all listeners...there are graphic discussions of useless things that allude to function and West Virginia ramp consumption. Enjoy!