What’s My Thesis?
Society & Culture
History
Javier Proenza
A silly research show. Every week, guest artists teach host Javier Proenza what they've learned in pursuit of their practice.
38. Grief and Acceptance - Tony Irons
59:3301/04/2019
37. Positive and Negative Frustration - Josh Scheadel - Live From Other Places Art Fair!
01:01:1425/03/2019
36. Interpersonal Dynamics - Nina Sarnelle
01:03:1005/03/2019
35. Balancing Activity and Reactivity - Nina Sarnelle
01:00:0619/02/2019
34. The Miaminess of Miami - Jessica Gispert
Continuing, Jessica Gispert and I talk about growing up Cuban American in Miami, as we bro out in this primer about being a kid in a hispanic culture that was allowed immigrate to the USA and flourish as refugees.
01:03:0206/02/2019
33. Santeria - Jessica Gispert
Artist Jessica Gispert and I talk about growing up around Cuban occultism in Miami. We have fun getting into the origins of Santeria while remaining careful not to upset the saints. Also, animal sacrifice...
58:0831/01/2019
32. Intersectionality and Deep Listening - Natalja Kent
Continuing, artist Natalja Kent gives me space to talk white privilege, racism on the liberal left, and why NPR listeners are problematic in this intense conversation about cultural wounds. We don’t fix anything, but I feel better after having my frustrations heard and processed by a compassionate white person.
01:04:1922/01/2019
31. Somatic and Embodiment Practices - Natalja Kent
Artist Natalja Kent stops by to share her experience with embodiment practices, and introduces me to practical techniques like body scans and the supper aggressive sounding Feldenkrais method. I say the words Supple Leopard for some reason, and we set the stage for an intense, but constructive conversation about cultural wounds in next weeks show.
45:1515/01/2019
30. Atomic Age: Rise of the Proxy War - Jamie Hamilton
Continuing our conversation, Jamie Hamilton and I talk about the geopolitical strategies the US adopted during the Cold War, and the rise of the proxy war, before going on tangents about his last episode on Telematic Space, the pain of voting in the last midterm election, and why I think Donald trump is a Magician.
01:27:5808/01/2019
29. Atomic Age: Fast and Furious - Jamie Hamilton
Returning Guest Jamie Hamilton (Telematic Space) helps me go through some of my remaining notes on the Atomic Age. Not a Sequel, not a reboot, we cover entirely new information from the earlier series of episodes with the same name. So if you Jump in here, you won't be lost. We talk atomic cars, atomic tourism and project plowshare.
01:28:4001/01/2019
28. Gravity, Brands, and Kanye West Pt II - David Alekhuogie
Continuing our conversation David Alekhuogie wonders if social media is putting constraints on process by establishing parameters artists have to work well with to be seen on social media. Where is your home base? David offers alternative approaches to networking for those of us that don’t feel our work belongs in that space.
01:36:0425/12/2018
27. Gravity, Brands, and Kanye West Pt I - David Alekhuogie
Photographer David Alekhuogie talks about gravity in terms of personal momentum, brands as a statement of identity, and why Kanye West still matters to him.
01:26:3918/12/2018
26. Binge Watching, Insecurity and Tarot Card Readings Pt II - Yoshie Sakai
In the second half of our conversation, Yoshie Sakai and I talk about binge watching, art practice, and the history of Tarot Cards, but more importantly, I get a tarot card reading that hits close to home. We also have a little fun at the expense of painters, but we love you guys, and we are just jealous.
01:03:1611/12/2018
25. Binge Watching, Insecurity and Tarot Card Readings Pt I - Yoshie Sakai
Artist and Bar Fund LA Grant Recipient Yoshie Sakai talks about the good and bad experiences she's had with psychics, how to pick the right one for you, and the dangers of getting addicted, while making me laugh uncontrollably.
01:03:3904/12/2018
24. Queer in Kansas - Peter Max Lawrence
Continuing our conversation, @petermaxlawrence and I go on tangents about zines, art school, and growing up gay in 1990's Kansas. Also, Is Donald Trump a batman villain?
01:23:4527/11/2018
23. 90s Indie and Super Hero Comics - Peter Max Lawrence
Artist Peter Max Lawrence talks comic books and queer identity, as we get into the artists, writers, and characters that guided us through puberty in the 90s.
01:23:3130/10/2018
22. A History of Playgrounds - Zach Kleyn
Artist and Play Consultant @zachkleyn discusses the history of playgrounds, early childhood development, toxic vs healthy masculinity, and how to live a more playful life.
01:47:0824/10/2018
21. Play - Zach Kleyn
Artists @zachkleyn talks about early childhood development and how play types established between the ages of 2 and 5 years old affect our adult interactions. Using his post graduate degrees in art and psychology, Zach’s company @climbplaymountain helps adults relax and reintroduce creative play into their lives. We also talk about Julia Margaret Cameron’s practice, and her book The Artists Way, as we address some of the existential challenges artists face when they accept they have to make art to feel right.
01:12:5217/10/2018
20. Screens and Their Conditions Pt II - Nathan Gulick
Artist Nathan Gulick and I continue our discussion, and get into how access to resolution is becoming indicative of social class. As Augmented Reality becomes more common, how will our subscription to services affect our perception of reality compared to those who use a different company for the same services? We also consider the size of the generational gap between Baby Boomers and Millenials in relation to exponential rate of technological evolution, and imagine a near future where algorithm made deep fake images will change the trust we have in photographs.
01:11:0309/10/2018
19. Screens and Their Conditions Pt I - Nathan Gulick
Artist Nathan Gulick stops by to talk about the conditions inherent in the screens we interact with. We discuss how the history of photography is evolving now that imagry is consumed primarily through screens and more people than ever have access to cameras.
also, so as not to drive you crazy, the photographers who's names I can't think of on this episode are Nikki S. Lee, and Roger Fenton.
Corrections:
1. The picture of the nanny was taken by Robert Frank, not Gary Winnogrand.
02:17:0202/10/2018
18. Identity Politics Pt II - Josh Steichmann
Photographer Josh Steichmann and I look at the 2016 election as we continue to discuss the importance of Identity Politics, and why rational centrists are not the most compelling candidates.
01:23:2225/09/2018
17. Identity Politics Pt I - Josh Steichmann
Photographer Josh Steichmann breaks down Identity Politics.
01:16:4318/09/2018
16. Bodies and the Politics of Presence - Zoya Sardashti
Zoya Sardashti talks about Judith Butler’s writing on forming assembly, and shows us how dependent we are on the other when building our individual identities.
01:20:0311/09/2018
15. Immigration Law - Mark Prada
I talk to old friend, and immigration lawyer Mark Prada. We learn that the immigration court has no Judicial independence, and is not subject to checks and balances. “At any point Jeff sessions can snatch your case in front of him and change the law.”
01:04:1628/08/2018
14. Telematic Space - Jamie Hamilton
Artist Jamie Hamilton stops by to discuss his upcoming article for Vasari21 on Telematic Space. Jamie shows us how little we understand the structure of the internet and our relationship to agregatiors of content like Google and Facebook. In this episode we get new insights into topics we've covered on the show by talking about the technologies that influence our experience. To Jaimie the idea that humanity will become useless as artificial intellligence takes our place seems unlikely and indicative of a fundamental missunderstanding of how dependent AI is on data sets generated by people.
01:50:0121/08/2018
13. Platonic Love - Gaea Woods
Gaea Woods, photographer, therapist, and host of Soulfriend Radio, gives us a break from the string of Scifi episodes to talk about friendship. We talk about how to make friends in Los Angeles, and how to maintian non-romantic intimate relationships. Is some one still your friend, if you haven't spoken in years? Gaea shows us how important these skills are, and that lonliness isn't necessarily a function of how many friends you have.
We also continue to celebrate Maiden LA, which is a Los Angeles wide artwalk open to anyone who wants to submit a project/event/open studio.
01:01:4514/08/2018
12. The Technological Singularity - Live from Cirrus Gallery - Molly Schulman, and Brice Bischoff
Artists Molly Schulman, Brice Bischoff, and I discuss the hypothesis that by 2045 exponential progress in bioengineering, nanotechnology, and robotics will lead to an Artificial Super Intelligence with the ability to self-replicate and evolve. Some versions of this future imagine robots the size of atoms boosting immune systems and cleaning the environment, while others predict a scenario in which the same robots attack the biosphere and destroy all life in a matter of days. Will humans become extinct, or immortal by merging with machines?
01:12:2507/08/2018
11. The Atomic Age Part II: Atoms for Peace
59:1619/06/2018
10. The Atomic Age Part I: the Proto Atomic Era
55:2405/06/2018
9. Stream of Consciousness 2: Random Conversation is Not Interesting
On today’s episode, we read our first review, look into our futures, and fantasize about laying down a sick bunt.
01:57:5008/05/2018
8. Universal Basic Income, the Precariat, and the Philosopher Billionaire
On today's show Javi talks with special guest Sue Ellen Stone about UBI, and more.
01:33:0501/05/2018
7. Stream of consciousness 1: Unencumbered Toss
Seth and Javier have an unscripted chat about backpacks, fish in creeks, and needy appeals for fan fiction.
01:16:4724/04/2018
6. Forbidden Fruit
On today’s episode: We learn that @sethlower is an encyclopedia of fruit knowledge before diving deep into lesser known Forbidden Fruit myths. What other objects have Gods used to tempt mortals, and why does Seth say the word MacGuffin more times in this ep than you’ve heard it in your life? Check out episode 11 Forbidden Fruit to find out!
01:19:1717/04/2018
5. Isaiah Berlin’s Two Concepts of Liberty and Why Philosophy Matters
On today’s episode: We finally get to Isaiah Berlin’s Two Concepts of Liberty. What do supporters of gun and reproductive rights have in common? They both define freedom in the negative sense, a relatively new interpretation of liberty. We provide examples of both negative and positive freedom to show it’s not as simple as saying one is liberal and one is conservative. We also discuss why philosophy matters, and define the role of the moral philosopher in the context of value pluralism/moral relativism. The most referenced concept in the podcast is finally addressed!
01:31:5610/04/2018
4. Lucid Dreaming Part III
On today’s episode: We leave the lab, and enter the dreamscape to ask “who is the dreamer?” LaBerge shows us that our consciousness is contained within, and always at the center of a multi-faceted sensory experience. We also ask how much control over a dream is possible, describe the mutual dreaming phenomenon, and wax philosophical/metaphysical about the science we covered in Pt I & Pt II. Lucid Dreaming Pt III is out, and the trilogy is complete!
01:00:2520/03/2018
3. Lucid Dreaming Part II
On today’s episode: we discuss dream sex and the psycho physiological responses in the body when men and women dream orgasms. We also cover the mind body issue and learn why we imagine and remember experiences less vividly than we dream them. Lucid Dreaming Pt II is ready for download!
51:2913/03/2018
2. Lucid Dreaming Part I
Ever realized you were dreaming while still in the dream? On this week’s episode @javierproenza shares the work of oneironaut (explorer of the dream world) Stephen LaBerge, who used lucid dreaming to pioneer techniques that allowed dreamers to communicate from within their dreams with the waking world. In part I, we cover some of the experiments he performed at Stanford University that established our understanding of what happens to our bodies, brains and consciousness when we dream, and encourage you to get into the habit of questioning your reality while awake to help you become lucid when dreaming.
01:14:5206/03/2018
1. The First Futurist, Italian Fascism, and the Avant-Garde
Seth Lower and Javier Proenza are Los Angeles based artists who meet every week to share the answers they’ve found to the questions they have. Join them as they attempt to make sense of the world through history, art, and philosophy.
42:2015/02/2018