Summary: In this final episode of season 1, Ashar speaks with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hirmer. They discuss her contributions to the edited collection Ecologies in Practice, and Lisa also elaborates on her exploration of the atmosphere as a central theme in her work, with related projects such as We Are Atmosphere.

Bio: Lisa Hirmer is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the collective nature of being, particularly in human relationships with the more-than-human world. Much of her recent work wrestles with what it means to be living within the reality of climate change and how to make sense of this planet-scaled emergency.

She has shown her work across Canada and internationally including at Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Gallery of Guelph, University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Tom Thomson Gallery, Art Windsor-Essex, Doris McCarthy Gallery, Peninsula Arts, CAFKA, Queens Museum, and Flux Factory, among others. She has done artist residencies with Arts House Melbourne, the Santa Fe Art Institute, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World, KIAC and Camargo Foundation, and was the 2022 Waterfront Toronto Artist in Residence. She has received grants from Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, musagetes and the Culture and Animal Foundation, and has a Master of Architecture from the University of Waterloo.

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Links:

Instagram: @lisa.hirmer

Website: www.lisahirmer.ca

Summary: In this episode, host Ashar interviews Dr. Kiyoko Gotanda, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Brock University, whose research focuses on the intersection of ecology, evolution, and behavior. Kiyoko shares her unique journey; from a ballet dancer to a researcher, emphasizing the importance of creativity in scientific inquiry. The conversation explores contemporary evolution, including the impact of human activities and colonialism on species adaptation, and more.

Kiyoko Gotanda Bio:

I am a former professional ballet dancer who is now a researcher in the fields of evolution, behaviour, and ecology. After dancing with ballet companies such as the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal, I hung up my pointe shoes and went to McGill University for my BSc. I received my PhD from McGill University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge and Université de Sherbrooke. I am currently an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Brock University. My third passion after science and dance is photography, which bridges the gap between my interests in art and science.

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Links:

https://www.kiyokogotanda.com

https://www.pidgephotography.com

Summary: In this final series of the first season of the Ecologies in Practice Podcast, we are exploring the Atmosphere- the invisible world all around us. In the first episode on atmosphere, Ashar speaks with artist Christina Battle, who discusses her work and focus on the climate crisis, the intersection of art and science, and more.

Bio: Christina Battle is an artist based in amiskwacîwâskahikan, (also known as Edmonton, Alberta), within the Aspen Parkland: the transition zone where prairie and forest meet. Her practice focuses on thinking deeply about the concept of disaster: its complexity, and the intricacies that are entwined within it.

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Links:

insta @c_l_battle

bluesky: @cbattle.bsky.social‬

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