Ep. 037 _ Christopher Hight _ 'Resilience in Sci-Fi

Ep. 037 _ Christopher Hight _ 'Resilience in Sci-Fi

Author: Sean Lally April 2, 2018 Duration: 34:44

This episode is a conversation with architectural designer and theorist Christopher Hight about two science fiction books;'The Drowned World' by J. G. Ballard, and 'Seveneves' by Neal Stephenson. The two books were published over 50 years apart. Both of these books are prime candidates for this show because they each do two things. The two books discuss an evolving Earth climate as well as an evolving human species. There is also quit a bit of difference within these two books. We see very different reasons for the climate change that's taking place, the plotlines occur over drastically different time scales, and the 'how' and 'what' that occurs to human evolution is different. The two books also open a conversation about how designers and architects can rethink the concept of resilience regarding the environment.


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. 068 _ Elisa Iturbe _ 'Carbon Form' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:56
Elisa Iturbe is a critic at the Yale University School of Architecture (YSoA), where she also coordinates the dual-degree program between YSoA and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Her writings have be…
Ep. 067 _ Charles Waldheim _ 'Overcoming Spatial Fixity' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:48
Today is a conversation with Charles Waldheim. Waldheim is a Canadian-American architect and urbanist. Waldheim's research examines the relations between landscape, ecology, and contemporary urbanism. He is author, edito…
Ep. 066 _ Jo Lindsay Walton _'Strange Economics' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:34
Today is a conversation with Jo Lindsay Walton and we're discussing a book called 'Strange Economics' which is edited by David F. Shultz. The book consists of 23 new science fiction pieces written specifically for the bo…
Ep. 065 _ Dr Lisa Feldman Barrett _ 'How Emotions Are Made [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:49
Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD, is a University Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University, with appointments at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. In addition to the book How Emo…
Ep. 064 _ Alexander Eisenschmidt _ 'The Good Metropolis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:59
Alexander Eisenschmidt is the author of 'The Good Metropolis, Between Urban Formlessness and Metropolitan Architecture' Birkhauser, 2018 Alexander is a designer, theorist, and Associate Professor at the School of Archite…
Ep. 063 _ Nancy Y. Kiang _ 'The Color of Plants on Other Worlds' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:15
Dr. Kiang is a biometeorologist at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York. She conducts research on the interaction between the biosphere and the atmosphere, focusing on life on land. Dr. Kiang also relates…
Ep. 062 _ Neil M. Denari 'Career Arcs' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:41
Neil Denari is principal of Neil M. Denari Architects / NMDA and a Professor in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA. With NMDA, Denari works on building projects in North America, Europe and Asia. In…
Ep. 060 _ Rachel Armstrong _ 'Far From Equilibrium' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:37
This week is with Rachel Armstrong, Professor of Experimental Architecture at the Department of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University. Rachel Armstrong leads Metabolism research in developing artific…
Ep. 059 _ Edward Tenner _ 'The Efficiency Paradox' [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:54
'The Efficiency Paradox: What Big Data Can't Do'. Edward Tenner is a distinguished scholar of the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and a visiting scholar in the Rutgers University D…