Join Christina and AUT Professor Allan Blackman for your weekly fix of Dear Science! This week, Allan and Christina discussed the imperial system vs the metric system (and got a bit carried away!). They also discussed a super reactive chemical in the atmosphere that could alter how we do climate modelling, and a silk tag that could tell you whether your medications are safe or dodgy.
Welcome to the Tuesday show! This morning, Rachel chats to psychedelic producer Kraus about his new creation, 'Fire! Water! Air! Kraus!', Stage Direction with Alice Canton is back in the studio- Alice speaks to Billy T Award winner Brynley Stent about her show 'Soft Carnage' and Dr Finbar Argus is on Ready Steady Learn, informing Rachel and the audience about his research computationally modelling the autonomic nervous system. Whakarongo mai nei!
In recent arts news, the National Theatre for Children is closing after a glorious 25 years of enthralling tamariki and ākonga around Aotearoa. The work of the theatre has brought many children their first encounter with the magic of live performance. Those that made the decision say they celebrate its legacy of supporting the creation and delivery of high-quality live theatre designed for children. However, the programme has been heavily subsidised for many years to make theatre accessible, and this model is no longer sustainable in the post-pandemic environment. To hear about the closure and what it may mean for tamariki and theatre, Frances spoke with Tim Bray, Artistic Director of Tim Bray Theatre Company and Trustee of Performing Arts and Young People Aotearoa.
Contemporary HUM was established in 2016 as the first and only platform dedicated to the discussion and documentation of Aotearoa artists abroad.
Unfortunately, in 2023 they did not receive the funding needed to operate. This means it's all hands on deck to raise $30,000 by the end of January to keep Contemporary HUM online, while they strengthen their economic model for a more sustainable and financially resilient future.
To hear more about Contemporary HUM and their boosted campaign Frances caught up with director Pauline Autet.
As Auckland Council plans to review its operating model for pool and leisure services, the Public Service Association has criticised moves to privatise management without public consultation.
Additionally, Auckland Transport has introduced a $50 fare cap for buses, ferries, and trains.
Producer Sofia spoke to counsellor Shane Henderson about both of these topics.
Morgan Seal joins us from the Lung Group from the Bioengineering Institute for Ready Steady Learn thanks to The University of Auckland. Morgan's research focuses particularly on inflammation of the lungs due to vaping and the difficulties in researching health impacts without long case studies. Additionally, Morgan discusses how mathmatical models can help map out changes in physiology amongst people who vape, particularly teenagers.
Kell and Constantine of L.A-based multi-hyphanate label Canary Sound Werk beam into the studio to chat about the label's first output, the new EP My Device from duo L.A./Berlin duo Xen Model. Check out the rest of the mahi Canary get's up to via their website and keep an ear out for further releases! In the interview, Constantine references a book on techno by DeForrest Brown Jr. a.k.a. Speaker Music.
It's time to dust off the cobwebs and get those cogs turning in your noggin 'cause Ready Steady Learn is back for 2025 thanks to Waipapa Taumata Rau - The University of Auckland. Jonny is joined by Behdad Ebrahimi of the Auckland Bioengineering Institute to chat about his work with people with a rare, and also serious, lung condition. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, or CTEPH for short, is a debilitating condition even post-surgery. Ebrahimi's work involves building computer models of lungs tailor-made to patients' own that can predict how blood flow and pressure will change following surgical intervention. Whakarongo mai nei!
Following the government’s announcement that Aotearoa would move to the red setting of the traffic light system on Monday 24 January, a number of events were forced to cancel or postpone. This is yet another massive blow to the music, arts and events industry, whose artists and workers have spent the last two years of the pandemic struggling to find consistent work and promoters have had to cancel or change the dates for their events multiple times.
News and Editorial Director Jemima Huston reaches out to a few people working in the performance art sector who have been impacted by the red setting. Firstly, Jemima speaks to Director of Splore John Minty, Director of Freqs Out East Dan Hesson and Director of The Others Way Mathew Davis, who are all promoters for summer festivals that have had to cancel or postpone due to the shift to the red light setting. They discuss how the pandemic has affected events and whether the exisitng events support schemes are enough to get the people involved in the industry through the Omicron outbreak.
Secondly, Jemima chats to artist and musician Jazmine Mary who says there is no support available for artists who have effectively lost their jobs under the red setting and cannot access the wage subsidy. Jazmine has penned a letter to the Prime Minister and submitted a parliamentary petition request to call for support for artists and musicians in Aotearoa unable to work under 'red'. They explain what sort of financial support is needed and how the public can help their call for action from the government.
To check out the follow up podcast on this issue, click here.
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