Episode #1 Joy Mariama Smith & Michaela Harrison, April 2024
On the first episode of the "Climate Imaginaries" podcast, Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca invites artists and thinkers to converge to explore new narratives for understanding our relationship with the planet. Recorded in early 2023 and hosted by Rajni Shah, this episode features a conversation with Joy Mariama Smith and Michaela Harrison. Both artists share their unique perspectives on climate change, culture, and the arts, sparked by their involvement in the Climate Imaginaries project, launched in September 2022.
During this rich dialogue, Michaela discusses her project "Whale Whispering," which melds song and sound to connect deeply with whales in Bahia, Brazil, revealing how interspecies communication can deepen our understanding of environmental stewardship. Joy shares insights from their immersive ritual performance installation "dissolution/dis solution," which explores healing practices for marginalized bodies, emphasizing the critical need to integrate issues of racism, coloniality, and speciesism into our discourse on climate change.
Accompanying this conversation are natural soundscapes—including the waves of Gichi-aazhoogami-gichigami (Lake Huron) and river sounds from the O:se Kenhionhata:tie (Grand River)—respectfully recorded by musician, sound designer, and audiovisual recordist Fili 周 Gibbons. These sounds not only enhance the auditory experience but also ground the discussion in the very ecosystems that are often subjects of our neglect.
This podcast is part of the project Climate Imaginaries led by Laura Cull Ó Maoilearca, Sabine Niederer, and Patricia de Vries. With thank to Andy Dockett for web and technical assistance. Climate Imaginaries is part of the Art Route NWA-project ‘Bit by bit, or not at all’ financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and an Imagination Laboratory within the SPRONG project Imagination in Transitions. It is also made possible with the support of Centre of Expertise for Creative Innovation (CoECI) in Amsterdam.