Air It

Jana gaan Johannesburg toe om met Suid Afrikaanse kunstenaar, Senzeni Marasela, ‘n onderhoud te voer. Hierdie episode is ‘n eksperimentele mash-up waarin Jana vir Nicolene meer vertel oor haar phd projek, en die opbou tot die gesprek met Marasela.

In this episode, we catch up with Nicolene on her MA Theatre and Performance practice-based research journey. As you will hear, Nicolene has a lot to say and is very passionate about this topic, she asked that we disclaim that the speed at which she speaks might give you a little anxiety, so slow us down, pause, and breathe if necessary. Expect discussions on Afrikanerdom, Whiteness, Christi van der Westhuizen's work on the enclaves, the fool, playing games, and so much more academic juiciness.

Unlike the title of this episode suggests, we did not organize ourselves in preparation for this conversation. Sometimes "airing it" means researching and writing down a structure (most of the time we do that) - other times it means lying around with friends and allowing our minds to run free. In this episode, we start by making sense and ... then later not so much ... enjoy this goofy, Afrikaans, ramble! And happy Silly Season!

We sat down with Prof. Stella Viljoen to talk about guilty pleasures. What makes something a guilty pleasure? Why do we, as feminists, love a stukkie rom-com? In this informal and juicy episode, we consider guilty pleasure from a cultural studies perspective and share some of our guilty pleasures - like regency romance novels, period dramas, and the Kardashians. And don’t forget the mice pies!

The Western art and philosophy canon has been so ingrained into most of the world that it seems to be this glorious record of groundbreaking art that is set in stone. However, there are so many accounts of women creatives influencing the trajectory of culture that are not commonly acknowledged in this historical timeline. In today’s episode, we bring you stories of a few complicated creative power couples. We talk about authorship, domesticity vs. career, as well as the influence of name-dropping on the perpetual telling of the same old stories. ___ If you haven't subscribed to our podcast yet, please do so. Rate and review us if you enjoy our content– this way you help us by making it easier for other listeners to find us. Nicolene started her own podcast! Subscribe to N.B. Art Notes immediately!  Thank you to our Patreon members that make this labour of love possible! If you like what we do, please consider supporting us on Patreon or make a donation here: https://www.nbcollective.space/air-it-support-us As always, we would love to hear what you think about the concepts, theories, texts, and practices discussed in this podcast, so please reach out: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/airit_podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airitpodcast/?hc_location=ufi Email: [email protected] Research and content production by Jana Vosloo and Nicolene Burger. Intro and outro music by Thabo Krouwkam. And remember, STAY STIMULATED!

Nicolene and Jana meet again in the 'genot grot' to talk about work, productivity, and the hustle in general. They recall family narratives about manual labour and a perceived sense of purpose and superiority that come from always being busy and doing something. Why is it so hard to do nothing? What does one do when you do nothing? In pondering these questions, this episode addresses topics about boredom, creativity, morning rituals, corporate culture, and rest as resistance.  If you haven't subscribed to our podcast yet, please do so. Rate and review us if you enjoy our content– this way you help us by making it easier for other listeners to find us. Nicolene started her own podcast! Subscribe to N.B. Art Notes immediately!  Thank you to our Patreon members that make this labour of love possible! If you like what we do, please consider supporting us on Patreon or make a donation here: https://www.nbcollective.space/air-it-support-us As always, we would love to hear what you think about the concepts, theories, texts, and practices discussed in this podcast, so please reach out: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/airit_podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airitpodcast/?hc_location=ufi Email: [email protected] Research and content production by Jana Vosloo and Nicolene Burger. Intro and outro music by Thabo Krouwkam. And remember, STAY STIMULATED!

In this episode Nicolene and Jana both need to talk through the research they are doing at the moment.  Nicolene discusses her constant fascination with the grid in her painting works and wonders how it will morph to fit with what she is making now. From a data log to a meditation medium and now a tool to speak about political identity, the grid seems to follow her everywhere. How do we recognise the geographic realities that are so often positioned “off the grid”?  Jana airs out some of her current research on anticolonial and feminist geography. She draws on Sylvia Wynter’s work on humanism to explore connections between philosophy, place-making, and being human.

In this raw and unfiltered episode, Nicolene and Jana talk about their experiences with sex education in South Africa. They start by reflecting on shocking Sunday school lessons and the awkward conversations about sex in their formative years. Then they turn to contemporary thinkers who expose the limits of sex education today, like relationship-guru Esther Perel and the feminist philosopher Amia Srinivasan.  Despite wanting to say A LOT more, especially about popular culture and sex in the Afrikaner context, the conversation had to end abruptly. Let us know if you want a follow-up chat!  Here are some of the resources mentioned in our conversation: Esther Perel podcasts and her book, Mating in Captivity The Right to Sex by Amia Srinivasan Pen15 tv-show If you haven't subscribed to our podcast yet, please do so. Rate and review us if you enjoy our content– this way you help us by making it easier for other listeners to find us.  Thank you to our Patreon members that make this labour of love possible! If you like what we do, please consider supporting us on Patreon or make a donation here: https://www.nbcollective.space/air-it-support-us  As always, we would love to hear what you think about the concepts, theories, texts, and practices discussed in this podcast, so please reach out:   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/airit_podcast/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airitpodcast/?hc_location=ufi  Email: [email protected]   Research and content production by Jana Vosloo and Nicolene Burger. Intro and outro music by Thabo Krouwkam. And remember, STAY STIMULATED!

We've been talking about marriage and wedding rituals on Air It over the past few months. Our conversations were inspired by the performance art piece Lilith & Lesbet Trou, a collaboration between Nicolene Burger and Mandri Sutherland. Now in the third part of this series on white weddings, we do something completely new to Air It podcast. The That Eclectic team listened to our previous episodes and invited Mandri, Nicolene and Air It to collaborate with them on an event called, That White Wedding. A huge team of artists created an extended version of Lilith & Lesbet Trou and Air It was there to record the reflections of the guests afterwards. We bring you a mashup of confessions from this interesting co-creation. 

Air it sat down with Mikhaila Coerecius to discuss how womxn can “be” in public and online spaces.  In the beginning of this episode, you will hear us unloading many personal experiences of how being in public spaces are complicated, especially as womxn. We think about walking, safety, selfies, access, race, the gaze, and class. Through the lens of her Masters outputs and research on the flâneuse, Mikhaila guides us to consider new ways for womxn to access, experience, and embody public spaces.  Listen all the way to the end as she draws fascinating connections between the dynamics of physical public spaces vs. the virtual public space. If you haven't subscribed to our podcast yet, please do so. Rate and review us if you enjoy our content– this way you help us by making it easier for other listeners to find us. Thank you to our Patreon members that make this labour of love possible! If you like what we do, please consider supporting us on Patreon or make a donation here: https://www.nbcollective.space/air-it-support-us As always, we would love to hear what you think about the concepts, theories, texts, and practices discussed in this podcast, so please reach out:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/airit_podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/airitpodcast/?hc_location=ufi Email: [email protected]  Research and content production by Jana Vosloo and Nicolene Burger.  Social media square designs by Margaux Loubser.  Sound editing and post production by CJ Bergh Music. Intro and outro music by Thabo Krouwkam. And remember, STAY STIMULATED!