About the episode:

In this inspiring conversation, legendary oceanographer and marine explorer Dr. Sylvia Earle guides us through the depths of the ocean, introduces us to the marvels of marine world and the kaleidoscope of life within it and explains its intricate relationship with all of us. From the ancient role of water to the impacts of climate change on the land and sea, with her powerful storytelling Her Deepness connects us to the splendour and the awe of our ‘blue heart’, portraying its immense value and why this may be the best and last chance that we may have ever got to safeguard it.

The speaker:

Dr. Sylvia Earle is one of the most celebrated ocean advocates of our times, she devoted her life to ocean exploration and conservation. Through her scientific research and environmental stewardship, Sylvia is one of the first women ever exploring to protect Earth’s blue heart and all of its treasures. She has been a National Geographic Explorer at Large (formerly Explorer in Residence) since 1998. Earle was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and was named by Time Magazine as its first Hero for the Planet in 1998. Since 2009, through her Mission Blue initiative, Sylvia has encouraged communities and governments all over the world to shield marine life that is at risk from human pressures through protected areas she calls Hope Spots under her program Mission Blue. These are areas of the oceans designated as vital to the preservation of species in order to achieve the UN 30x30 goal that aims to protect at least 30% of todays ocean space.

Mission Blue has identified Canyon of Caprera, a project led by One Ocean Foundation, as a Hope Spot in support of elevating its protection to an Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA) with an eye on an eventual designation of a Marine Protected Area (MPA).

Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19

Co-host: Jan Pachner, One Ocean Foundation

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We are delighted to kick off our new season during United Nation’s Climate Conference COP29 with an insightful conversation with our co-host, Jan Pachner, a Secretary General of the One Ocean Foundation. Jan firmly makes a call to action for an adequate human response to the threats that have arisen at this decisive turn in history. The fellow ocean defender speaks about our 'magic blue pearl' that we have to care for and protect, the one time chance we have in accelerating ocean solutions and reestablishing peace and harmony with Nature. Jan introduces the opportunities in the blue economy and natural capital for making new waves to a more resilient future.

Born in Austria, Jan Pachner began his career in hotel management. After being a Director of the iconic Hotel Cala di Volpe, a masterpiece of the architect Jacques Couëlle, in 2007 Jan spearheaded the international development of Yacht Club Costa Smeralda from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. After working for His Highness the Aga Khan, Jan contributed to the establishment of the One Ocean Foundation. Since then, he has played a key role in growing the Foundation's global network and activities, alongside the annual international conference the "Blue Economy Summit". Jan is a co-author of various scientific research publications such as the "Ocean Disclosure Initiative", the first framework dedicated to industries impacts on the ocean. Jan is an Advisor to CDP, a Hope Spot Champion by Dr. Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue for the OOF’s project Canyon of Caprera, with the support of Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative, aiming to recognise it to an Important Marine Mammal Area. He serves frequently as a public speaker, periodically teaches at Bocconi University and is a member of The Explorers Club in New York.

One Ocean Foundation is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the ocean, focused on innovative research and accelerating climate solutions guided by a multinational scientific committee.

Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19

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We are delighted to announce that ZEITGEIST19 is joining forces with One Ocean Foundation to host a new collaborative podcast season entitled ‘As Above, So Below’ focused on ocean biodiversity conservation and planetary well-being, examining the one time opportunity we have - to bring back balance in our ecosystems.

In response to the climate state of emergency, the hybrid project proposes new perspectives, creating a reservoir of hope for regeneration, reinvention & repair. Based on knowledge arising from nurturing relationships between art and science, the series inform how inspiration from nature can collectively find solutions to contemporary environmental challenges and weave them into an interdisciplinary conversation.

In the spirit of ‘As Above, So Below,’ rooted in indigenous philosophy and ancient Hermetic wisdom, we recognise the interconnectedness of the Cosmos and the Earth. Just as the movements of the Heavens influence the tides, the health of the ocean reflects the equilibrium of our fragile world. This profound belief reminds us that our primordial relationship with the ocean is not just physical but deeply spiritual and essential to the well-being of the closely interwoven system of life.

We are honoured to welcome speakers as activists, researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs, economists, cultural leaders and biodiversity defenders from our blue planet we call Home. Dive deep into our journey of exploration above and below the surface.

One Ocean Foundation is an International non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of the ocean, focused on innovative researches guided by a multinational scientific committee, aiming to accelerate solutions to ocean issues, promoting blue economy and enhancing marine knowledge. Launched by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in 2017 for its 50th Anniversary. Find more about OOF’s project Canyon of Caprera recognised as “Hope Spot” by Dr. Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue, with the support of Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative.

Support their Blue Forest sea reforestation project here.

Hosts: Farah Piriye and Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19

Co-host: Jan Pachner, Secretary General One Ocean Foundation

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the whole One Ocean Foundation team and its President Mr. Riccardo Bonadeo.

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Episode Summary:

In this captivating episode, we journey with Tega Brain from her roots as an environmental engineer to her evolution into an art-tech visionary. Exploring the digital art landscape reshaped by AI and Machine Learning, she draws parallels with influential figures like Ian Cheng, Refik Anadol, and Elon Musk. Her works mirror the transformative power these technologies wield in creating unique artistic experiences, akin to what Trevor Paglen and Agnes Denes are known for. Amidst our tech-driven world, Tega challenges the status quo, intertwining creativity with environmental sustainability, and navigating ethical concerns similar to scholars like Kate Crawford, Timnit Gebru, and Joy Buolamwini. This episode is a must for anyone keen on the intersection of technology, art, and environmental sustainability.

In what ways artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming the digital art landscape, and what opportunities do these technologies present for artists?

How do you address ethical concerns when incorporating AI and other emerging technologies into your art practice?

The Speaker:

Tega Brain is an Australian-born artist, environmental engineer, and educator whose work intersects art, technology, and ecology. Her projects often address environmental issues and involve creating experimental systems, installations, and software. She has exhibited her work at various venues, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Haus der Kulturen der Welt. In addition to her art practice, Tega Brain is an Assistant Professor of Integrated Digital Media at New York University's Tandon School of Engineering. Her research and teaching focus on the creative and critical applications of technology, with an emphasis on sustainability and environmental concerns.

Follow Tega Brain's journey.

Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 Foundation

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Episode Summary:Have you ever dreamed of seeing our planet Earth from above, stepping on the surface of the moon or travelling in time? In this episode we have the honour to speak with Andrea Vena, a Chief of Climate and Sustainability Officer at the European Space Agency. Mr. Vena tells us more about the era of new space economy and exploring further the solar system, meanwhile focusing on reaching and optimising the sustainable goal objectives. He shares with us about his sustainable role and approach based on the understanding that the climate and the scientific analysis of the possible evolution is deeply rooted on space data. Mr. Vena talks about the future outpost on and around the moon, the next international space station The Lunar Gateway, and preparing to study Mars in-depth, searching for the building blocks of life and how to sustain it on Earth.

''Space is the space without boundaries'' Mr. Vena says. According to Mr. Vena the international collaboration in the space sectors is the way to progress in future. Listen to our episode and launch into space... 3... 2... 1... Liftoff!

The Speaker:

Andrea Vena is the Chief Climate and Sustainability Officer of the European Space Agency – ESA. He has over than thirty years of experience in the space sector both in industrial and institutional areas. He’s married with three children.Graduated in Electronic Engineering, with a Master in Telecommunication Systems, he started his career in Italy as system engineer in Alenia Spazio, the space branch of Finmeccanica (today Leonardo), where he contributed to large space projects as the ESA Artemis Data Relay Satellite, and the ESA-NASA Cassini-Huygens mission, and then covered different managerial positions.In 2000, Andrea started his career at ESA by joining the Strategy Directorate. In 2006 he was appointed head of the Corporate Strategic Planning office, in charge of the Agency’s strategic planning process, including the elaboration of the 10-year ESA Long-Term Plan and the management of Agency-level strategic risks. In 2016, he was appointed head of the Corporate Development Office, in charge of establishing a corporate strategy for the development of the organisation. Among his duties, Andrea was responsible for elaborating and coordinating the implementation of the ESA Strategic Plan including actions and activities needed to reach ESA development strategic objectives. He was in charge, among others, to define and deploy a knowledge management system across the organisation as well as to elaborate a corporate social responsibility policy and define actions needed to implement it at ESA.

Follow European Space Agency's journey.

Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 Foundation

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Episode Summary:

On this World Whale Day we devote our episode to the Ocean - one of the most important places on our planet and home to thousand of different plant and animal species. The aquatic ecosystems make up 70.8 percent of the earth's surface and act as a buffer against many critical global issues including pollution and over-harvesting, it is a source of half of the oxygen we breathe. We have the pleasure to meet Markus Reymann, a Director of TBA21–Academy and an advocate for ocean literacy, research and conservation. He expands on his mission and tells us about how creativity and global collaboration with tribalizers in the fields of art and science - such as Olafur Eliasson, David Gruber and the new exhibition with Wu Tsang 'Of Whales' opening this 21st of February - can foster ocean's restoration.

The Speaker:

Markus Reymann is Director of TBA21–Academy, a non-profit cultural organization he co-founded in 2011 that fosters interdisciplinary dialogue and exchange surrounding the most urgent ecological, social, and economic issues facing our oceans today. Reymann leads the Academy’s engagement with artists, activists, scientists, and policy-makers worldwide, resulting in the creation of new commissions, new bodies of knowledge, and new policies advancing the conservation and protection of the oceans. In March 2019, TBA21–Academy launched Ocean Space, a new global port for ocean literacy, research, and advocacy. Located in the restored Church of San Lorenzo in Venice, Italy, Ocean Space is activated by the itinerant Academy and its network of partners, including universities, NGOs, museums, government agencies, and research institutes from around the world.

Follow Markus Reymann, TBA21-Academy and Ocean Space journey.

Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 Foundation

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Episode Summary:

At ZG19 we believe that the New Year should start with revisiting our relationship with nature and our planet, because we ARE the planet, an integral part of our ecosystem. This is why our first episode in 2023 is dedicated to an acclaimed SuperNatural exhibition at the Eden Project, a cross-disciplinary cultural leader, that runs till 26 February. The show brings together a range of international artists, including Ai Weiwei, Kedisha Coakley, Iman Datoo, Patricia Domínguez, Ingela Ihrman and Eduardo Navarro, who explore humankind’s ever-evolving understanding of ourselves as a part of the natural world, the interdependencies between humans and plants, and the systems that inform our varying perspectives. In this interview the Senior curator Misha Curson and curator Hannah Hooks guide us through the exhibitions, mentioning global cultural activism, and stating that in order to develop a planet fit for the future, we need to nurture creative perspectives. Other two ladies that join the conversation are Iman Datoo and Patricia Dominguez. While an interdisciplinary artist Datoo expands on her curious practice that brings together botany and cartography, Domínguez tells us how she merges socio-political and economic matters with mysticism and ancient botanical knowledge.

About Eden Project:

Owned by the Eden Trust, the Eden Project is a global arts, science and educational charity with a social and environmental mission: to create a movement that builds relationships between people and the natural world to demonstrate the power of working together for the benefit of all living things. Eden champions creativity and critical thinking, and presents thoughtful and thought-provoking cross-disciplinary cultural, community and education programmes on-site and across local and national communities. Founded as a Millennium Project in 2001, Eden welcomes over one million visitors each year, it has a digital reach of several million and as Eden Project establishes new sites across the UK and in China, Australia and New Zealand, its reach is growing. Eden is at the forefront of emerging cultural practices in regeneration, conservation, sustainability, horticulture, architecture, community outreach and education. The organisation has an extensive network of scientific expertise and partners at leading local, national and international universities and research bodies.The world-famous Biomes house a living ethno-botanical collection. To date Eden has commissioned and exhibited such world-revered and diverse artists as El Anatsui, Wolfgang Buttress, Hayden Dunham, Ryan Gander, Jenny Kendler, Julian Opie, Peter Randall-Page, Tim Shaw and Studio Swine. Eden is a hybrid of gallery, museum, garden, venue, laboratory and university – a cross-disciplinary cultural leader for the 21st century, uniquely placed to offer transformative opportunities to artists engaged with social-environmental subjects.

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Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 Foundation

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Episode Summary:

Meanwhile patiently observing and exploring every single bit of the fascinating Unknown Unknowns. An Introduction to Mysteries exhibition at the 23rd International Exposition at Triennale Milano, curated by Ersilia Vaudo, we were mesmerised by an underwater robotic installation. In this episode we meet British bio artist Anna Dumitriu, who tells us more about the artwork ArcheaBot, reimagining what a post climate change life might be - a post singularity life-form. Based on a ground breaking research on archaea - a group of unicellular microorganisms believed to be the oldest form of life on earth - combined with the latest innovations in artificial intelligence and machine learning, Anna has collaborated with Alex May to create the ‘ultimate’ species that can adapt to live in extreme conditions, able to survive the end of our world. The pioneering visual artist speaks about her extraordinary practice in between art and biology and the role of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in an altered future life, laying the importance Alan Turing’s Imitation Game has assumed in the philosophy of mind and quoting ideas of Elon Musk discussing possible solutions for Climate Change.

The Speaker:

Anna Dumitriu is an award winning, internationally renowned, British artist who works with BioArt, sculpture, installation, and digital media to explore our relationship to infectious diseases, synthetic biology and robotics. Her work is held in several major public collections, including the Science Museum London and Eden Project.

Follow Anna 's journey on Instagram

Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 Foundation

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Episode Summary:

30 meters below earth there is a place where time stands still - the Ruinart chalk cellars, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Deep inside it, where once there used to be an ocean, we are confronted by the origin of our existence, returning back to the source. In this episode we are interviewing environmental artists Maya Mouawad and Cyril Laurier, known as Mouawad Laurier duo, on the occasion of their sustainable installation commissioned by Maison Ruinart, Retour Aux Sources, marking the beginning of the 10-year countdown to the 300th anniversary of the champagne house. The artistic project brings data, artificial intelligence and the living world together in an immersive experience, submerging the audience into a visual and sound encounter underground. Maya and Cyril share with us more about the essence of their artistic practice and their work Retour Aux Sources with which they are ''striving to reconnect with our roots, those at our very core.'' We go back to the origin and question the role of technology in art, the interdependence of our eco system and the way we perceive ourselves in relation to nature. Moreover, the collective gives us a hint about their upcoming project Rising, inspired by our concerns about climate change and the raising level of the Ocean, another crucial and defining multilayered body of work for Mouawad Laurier.

The Speakers:

Mouawad Laurier is the collective name for two artists who work and live together. Maya Mouawad and Cyril Laurier have been collaborating on innovative artistic projects together around the world for many years, working with other artists under the name Hand Coded. They now sign their own work under their real names. In partnership with Pablo Valbuena, they were pioneers of video mapping and have continued along this path, collaborating with leading video mapping artists such as AntiVJ and Romain Tardy.

Maya Mouawad is an environmental artist. The aim of her work is to question the place of machines in our modern world: how can these machines affect human behaviour, how can they change the way we perceive ourselves in relation to nature? Her installations often involve the use of new technologies, generative light systems. She has created her own generative light control software.

Cyril Laurier is a music composer. He has researched ways to detect emotions in music using machine learning and has published his work in journals, books and conferences. He now applies his knowledge of artificial intelligence to art installations, making sentient machines that question our relationship with technology and nature.

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Hosts: Farah Piriye & Elizabeth Zhivkova, ZEITGEIST19 Foundation

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Episode Summary:

The first episode of our novel season The New Leviathan, that is grounded in many conversations capturing this moment of history, with its focal point on the relationship between individuals and technologies, is an intimate chat with three curators of the E-WERK Luckenwalde — Helen Turner, Adriana Tranca and Katharina Worf. The all women curatorial team of the world’s first renewable energy art institution is taking our co-founder and curator Farah Piriye on a journey to a small town 30 miles south of Berlin, in the former East Germany, where this functioning Kunststrom power station that explores ecological and socio- cultural practices is located. As the art world today faces a host of challenges, from monument removal to calls for repatriation, and rethinking museum model hierarchies, the ladies tell us how they envision an art space of the future. While Katharina Worf is introducing us to the concept of slow curating and Adriana Tranca explains how very attentive the audience is to what modern culture has to offer, the artistic director of E-WERK Helen Turner states that one of the fundamental roles of a curator in today’s troubled world is to make contemporary art accessible to the local community.

About E-WERK LUCKENWALDE:

E-WERK Luckenwalde is located in a former coal power station built in 1913, ceasing production in 1989 after the fall of the Berlin wall. Located 30 minutes south of Berlin, E-WERK Luckenwalde is jointly directed by artist Pablo Wendel and curator Helen Turner. In 2017, the art collective Performance Electrics GmbH led by Pablo Wendel acquired the former brown-coal power station with the vision to reanimate it as a sustainable Kunststrom (art power) Kraftwerk to feed power into the national grid by burning locally sources waste wood chips to make electricity, and function as a

large scale contemporary art centre. As part of POWER NIGHT in 2019, Performance.

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Hosts: Farah Piriye, ZEITGEIST19 Foundation

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