Ep. 008 _ Gretchen Bakke

Ep. 008 _ Gretchen Bakke

Author: Sean Lally October 17, 2016 Duration: 1:02:22

Gretchen Bakke is the author of 'The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future'. Gretchen Bakke holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in Cultural Anthropology. Her work focuses on the chaos and creativity that emerges during social, cultural, and technological transitions. For the past decade she has been researching and writing about the changing culture of electricity in the United States. In addition to her work on electric power systems she has done research in the Soviet Union, the former Yugoslavia, and in Cuba. She is a former fellow in Wesleyan University's Science in Society Program, a former Fulbright fellow, and is currently an assistant professor of anthropology at McGill University. Born in Portland, Oregon, Bakke lives in Montreal.


In a world where the very ground we stand on and the bodies we inhabit are becoming malleable territories for design, Night White Skies offers a necessary space for conversation. Host Sean Lally guides these discussions, which venture far beyond traditional architectural discourse to ask what kind of future we are actually building. This podcast thrives on the friction and insight generated by bringing together an unexpected mix of voices-from philosophers and scientists to policy makers and science fiction authors. You’ll hear how a cultural anthropologist’s research on ritual intersects with a material scientist’s work on smart environments, or how a novelist’s vision of tomorrow clarifies the ethical dilemmas faced by urban planners today. Each episode is a deep, meandering exploration, avoiding easy answers in favor of nuanced, often surprising connections. The aim is to piece together a broader, more complex picture of the transformations currently unfolding around and within us. By engaging with such a diverse range of thinkers, the Night White Skies podcast doesn't just report on change; it actively participates in the difficult, essential work of imagining what comes next.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 108

Night White Skies
Podcast Episodes
Ep. 028 _ Sara M. Watson _ 'Technology Criticism' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:35
Sara M. Watson is a writer and technology critic. She is an affiliate with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, and a writer in residence at Digital Asia Hub. Sara writes and speaks ab…
Ep. 027 _ Marcelyn Gow _ 'The Shape of Information' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:56
This week is a conversation with Marcelyn Gow. Marcelyn is an architect and principle of Servo Los Angeles, She received her Architecture degrees from Architectural Association in London, Columbia University and her Doct…
Ep. 026 _ Tom Wiscombe _ 'A More Robust Discipline' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:46
Tom Wiscombe is Principal of Tom Wiscombe Architecture which is currently planning the Main Museum of Los Angeles Art with Developer Tom Gilmore in Downtown LA. As well as the West Hollywood Belltower on Sunset Blvd in L…
Ep. 025 _ Madeline Schwartzman _ 'See Yourself X' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:52
Madeline Schwartzman is a New York City writer, filmmaker and architect whose work explores human narratives and the human sensorium through social art, book writing, curating and video making. Her two books 'See Yoursel…
Ep. 024 _ Sophia Roosth _ 'Synthetic Life' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:34
Sophia Roosth is the Frederick S. Danziger Associate Professor in the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University. We discuss her book 'Synthetic, How Life Got Made'.
Ep. 023 _ Gareth Damian Martin _ ''Gaming & Speculative New Worlds' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:23
Gareth Damian Martin is the creator and editor of Heterotopias, a project focusing on the spaces and architecture of virtual worlds. Heterotopias is both a digital zine and website, hosting studies and visual essays that…
Ep. 022 _ Kevin Warwick _ 'New Sensory Perception' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:49
Kevin Warwick's research areas include artificial intelligence, robotics and biomedical engineering. Kevin Warwick is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University. Prior to that he was Professor of Cybernetic…
Ep. 021 _ Oliver Morton _ ' The Planet Remade' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:23
Oliver Morton is The Economist's briefings editor. Before coming to The Economist as energy and environment editor in 2009, he was the chief news and features editor of Nature, the international scientific journal. He is…
Ep. 020 _ Jesse LeCavalier _ 'The Rule of Logistics' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12:31
Jesse LeCavalier is a designer, writer, and educator whose work explores the architectural and urban implications of contemporary logistics. He is assistant professor of architecture at the New Jersey School of Architect…
Ep. 019 _ Molly Wright Steenson _ 'Cedric Price's Influence' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:29
On this episode we discuss the architect Cedric Price and the influence of his work and strategies today. Molly Wright Steenson is a designer, writer, and international speaker whose work focuses on the intersection of d…