The Curiosity Conversation
By University of St Andrews Museums
The Curiosity Conversation drops on the final Thursday of each month and is brought to you by the Museums of the University of St Andrews.
Show theme © Lidhmusic
The Curiosity ConversationMar 25, 2021
Dr Peter Mackay: Return to Mingulay
Join Matt and Eilidh as they speak with Dr Peter Mackay, School of English, to discuss the cultural importance of a tiny island off the west coast of Scotland.
What can history tell us about the ways communities develop in relation to place? Find out more in this exciting episode.
Dr Manon Schweinfurth: What Makes Us Human - Your Questions
Today, Matt and Eilidh ask Dr Manon Schweinfurth from the School of Psychology and Neuroscience some of your questions from the What Makes Us Human? exhibition. How much of our DNA is shared with potatoes? And are cats smarter than dogs? All answered in this exciting episode.
Dr Cat Hobaiter: I Want to be Like You
In this Episode, Eilidh and Matt speak to Dr Cat Hobaiter, Reader in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience, about whether communication in chimps might mean that humans aren’t as unique as we might like to think Check out the Great Ape Dictionary: https://greatapedictionary.ac.uk/
Learn more about the exhibition: https://what-makes-us-human.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/
Dr Ellen Garland: You Say You Want a Revolution
In this episode of the Curiosity Conversation, Eilidh and Matt speak to Dr Ellen Garland, Senior Research Fellow in the School of Biology.
'You tell me that it's evolution, well you know we all want to change the world' - so said the Beatles. But do whales have cultural revolutions? And if so, does this mean that humans aren't as unique as we might like to think?
Dr Alice König: Somewhere to Stay
In this episode of The Curiosity Conversation, Eilidh and Matt speak to Dr Alice König, Senior Lecturer in the School of Classics.
Find out about the stories museums can tell about war and peace through different artistic mediums, and follow Anna and Diana's story through to the creation of the exhibition 'Somewhere to Stay'.
Explore 'Visualising Forced Migration' here: https://forcedmigration.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2022/11/03/jk/
Dr Manon Schweinfurth: What Makes Us Human
Today, Matt and Eilidh speak to Dr Manon Schweinfurth, who is working with the Museums on their upcoming exhibition, What Makes Us Human? which opens on 28 May 2023.
The exhibition examines whether humans are really as unique as we like to think - and if we're not, what impact does this have on our relationship with the rest of the animal kingdom? This episode gets to the heart of this question - what is it about rats and reciprocity that prove we're not as unique as previously thought?
Visit Manon's lab website here - About - manon-schweinfurths Webseite! (jimdofree.com) And learn more about the exhibition here - What Makes Us Human? – Humans are unique. Or so we like to think. But are we really? (st-andrews.ac.uk)
Dr Euridice Honorio: Living by the Land
In this episode, Dr Euridice Honorio will speak with Eilidh and Matt about making sustainable choices and having an impact, especially around peatland areas.
Find out about the relationship Peruvian communities have with their environment, the government, and other external organisations, as well as the work researchers do to support sustainable practices.
Visit the Tropical Wetland Consortium Website here.
Or can find out more about For Peatlands' Sake here.
Dr Christopher Schulz: Spirit of the Swamp
In this episode of The Curiosity Conversation, Eilidh and Matt speak to Dr Christopher Schulz, Lecturer in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development.
Find out about myths and legends of Peruvian peatlands and their importance to the culture of the Urarina indigenous people.
You can find out more at - For Peatlands' Sake – Vital for the planet, intertwined with communities, explore the unexpected world of peatlands (st-andrews.ac.uk)
Sophie Gerrard: The Flows
In this episode of The Curiosity Conversation, Eilidh and Matt speak to Sophie Gerrard, a Scottish documentary photographer whose work focuses on environmental and social themes. Sophie is a lecturer at Edinburgh Napier University, as well as a member of the board of trustees for Impressions Gallery in Bradford, and a co-founder member of Document Scotland.
Some of sophies work is currently on display in the Museums of the University of St Andrews current exhibition 'For Peatlands' Sake'.
Find out about about Peatlands, and the Arts and science in conservation, as the conversation touches on the importance of peatlands for both the environment and climate emergency, and communities and livelihoods.
You can find out more at - For Peatlands' Sake – Vital for the planet, intertwined with communities, explore the unexpected world of peatlands (st-andrews.ac.uk)
Dr Katy Roucoux: Time Beneath Our Feet
In this episode of The Curiosity Conversation, Eilidh and Matt speak to Dr Katy Roucoux, Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography and Sustainable Development. Dr Roucoux specialises in long-term ecology and palaeoclimatology, and is working with the Museums of the University of St Andrews on the exhibition 'For Peatlands' Sake'.
Find out why peatlands are one of our most valuable resources, as the conversation touches on the importance of peatlands for both the environment and climate emergency, and communities and livelihoods.
You can find out more at - For Peatlands' Sake – Vital for the planet, intertwined with communities, explore the unexpected world of peatlands (st-andrews.ac.uk)
Anita Corbin: First Women
In this episode Matt and Eilidh talk to Anita Corbin, a photographer whose works include Visible Girls and First Women UK. First Women UK is on display at the Wardlaw Museum and Laidlaw Music Centre, St Andrews University until 8th Jan 2023.
First Women comprises a unique collection of 100 portraits capturing women in the UK who were “first” in their field of achievement. This was completed by 2018 to celebrate 100 years of women’s suffrage. In the early 80's Anita completed a project called Visible Women and worked for The Sunday Times and The Observer Magazine.
In this episode, join Anita, Matt and Eilidh as they reflect on First Women UK, failure and success. For more info, visit First Women – Museum Events (st-andrews.ac.uk) Music © Lidhmusic
Matt Ylitalo: Provenance and Historical Transformations
In this episode Eilidh talks to Matt Ylitalo, a PHD student in the School of Modern History at the University of St Andrews.
Matt's PHD research is called 'Huntin Whales and Making Knowledge'. He is also interested in Dundee’s nineteenth-century trade in Arctic animals particularly the history of the Dundee Whaling trade. Today's podcast looks in particular at the role of peoples who have long been marginalized in the whaling industry.
Matt contributed to the Museums of the University of St Andrews exhibition called Re-collecting Empire, which explores how colonial presences in museum collections can be re-interpreted with input from communities, and how this approach can be embedded in the Museums' work and processes rather than being a short term focus. The accompanying exhibition, Re-collecting Empire, is open from 28 July until 22 October 2022 at the Wardlaw Museum. In this episode, join Matt and Eilidh to discuss working with originating communities to reattribute and reinterpret collections.
For more info, visit www.re-collectingempire.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk Music © Lidhmusic
Dr Anindya Raychaudhuri: Fish, Cultural Memory and Museums
In this episode Matt and Eilidh talk to Dr Anindya Raychaudhuri, in the School of English at the University of St Andrews.
Anindya's primary research interest is in the cultural representation and collective memory of war and conflict. He is also interested in postcolonial and diasporic identities and cultures. Anindya contributed to the Museums of the University of St Andrews exhibition called Re-collecting Empire, which explores how colonial presences in museum collections can be re-interpreted with input from communities, and how this approach can be embedded in the Museums' work and processes rather than being a short term focus. The accompanying exhibition, Re-collecting Empire, is open from 28 July until 22 October 2022 at the Wardlaw Museum.
In this episode, join Anindya, Matt and Eilidh as they reflect on issues of cultural memory and museums.
For more info, visit www.re-collectingempire.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk Music © Lidhmusic
Dr Emma Bond: We still need to talk about empire
In this episode Matt and Eilidh talk to Dr Emma Bond, Reader in Italian and Comparative Literature in the School of Modern Languages at the University of St Andrews.
Emma works on the circulation of people, texts, objects and cultural artefacts across nations, touching on issues of colonialism, empire, slavery and migration. She is working with the Museums of the University of St Andrews on a project called Re-collecting Empire, which explores how colonial presences in museum collections can be re-interpreted with input from communities, and how this approach can be embedded in the Museums' work and processes rather than being a short term focus.
The accompanying exhibition, Re-collecting Empire, is open from 28 July until 22 October 2022 at the Wardlaw Museum. In this episode, Emma, Matt and Eilidh discuss their learning through developing the exhibition, the approaches taken, what might be missing and what visitors can expect when they visit.
For more info, visit www.re-collectingempire.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk
Music © Lidhmusic
Magda Keaney: Coming Home, the Duchess of Cambridge
In this episode Eilidh and Matt talk to Magda Keaney, Senior Curator of Photographs at the National Portrait Gallery in London. They discuss the recent photographs taken of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, to celebrate her 40th birthday. The conversation touches on the work of the photographer, Paolo Roversi, the history of photography and what we can learn about attitudes to royalty and society by the style of royal portraits.
The three photographs in the series are all available on the National Portrait Gallery website.
Music (c) Lidhmusic
Dr Paula Miles: Culture and Wellbeing
Today Eilidh and Matt talk to Dr Paula Miles, a specialist in educational psychology in the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews. She's been working with the Museums of the University of St Andrews on a Cultural Prescription programme, aimed at improving wellbeing in the local community.
The conversation explores the impact of culture on mental health and how museums can benefit how we all feel.
Prof Susannah Thompson - Beyond Significant Others
In this episode, Matt and Eilidh talk to Professor Susannah Thompson, an art historian, writer, and curator. Thompson is the Head of Doctoral Studies and Professor of Contemporary Art and Criticism at Glasgow School of Art. Thompson has previously worked on an exhibition entitled ‘Speak English’ by Lubaina Himid and Maud Sulter, as an exhibitions assistant at the same institution in 2002.
They reflect on the series of works by Maud Sulter titled 'Significant Others', which will be rotated in the Wardlaw Museum over the course of the next two years. Thompson details the influences on Sulter's work, her tireless activist work and how her work still holds contemporary resonance today.
Pip Mitchell and Willow Loy: Following Her Footsteps
In this episode Eilidh and Matt talk to Pip Mitchell and Willow Loy, students of the MLitt in Museum and Gallery Studies students. Willow and Pip are co-curators of the intervention 'Following Her Footsteps: Discovering Women in Natural Science' at the Bell Pettigrew Museum of Natural History, running from 4th - 15th April 2022. Find out more - following-her-footsteps.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk
They discuss who Sarah Bowdich is, what her important contribution to the field of Natural Science was, and the importance of re-writing women back into the historical narrative.
Prof Michael Brown and Dr Bess Rhodes: Cult, Church, City
In this episode Eilidh and Matt talk to Professor Michael Brown and Dr Bess Rhodes. Michael and Bess are the curators of the exhibition 'Cult, Church, City: Medieval St Andrews' at the Wardlaw Museum, running from 20th February - 3rd July 2022. Find out more - https://medieval-standrews.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/
They discuss the differences between the St Andrews of the medieval period and today, the influences and characteristics of the burgh's residents, and how we can picture the burgh of the past over 500 years later...
Michael and Bess recommend...
Medieval St Andrews: Church, Cult, City (edited by Michael H Brown and Katie Stevenson) - https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781783275977/medieval-st-andrews/
Open Virtual Worlds Reconstructions - https://www.openvirtualworlds.org/reconstructions/
University Special Collections - https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/library/special-collections/
Music © Lidhmusic
Alberta Whittle: Art, Empire and Legacy
The Curiosity Conversation speaks with a different expert every month to explore the world through the unexpected, ground-breaking or contested aspects of the stories museums tell.
This month, Eilidh and Matt talk to renowned artist Alberta Whittle, who will represent Scotland at the 2022 Venice Biennale. Alberta’s work explores the legacy of colonialsm, and they will discuss working with communities to create new narratives about empire.
Music © Lidhmusic
Dr Laura Roe: Ruins and Remnants
This month, Eilidh and Matt talk to Dr Laura Roe, a postdoctoral researcher in Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. Laura studies drug use in Scotland and the relationship between usage and social and cultural change.
They discuss the relationship between de-industrialisation and drug use, the importance of community, and what the future looks like in Scotland.
Laura recommends:
Isolation, solitute and social distancing for people who use drugs: An ethnographic perspective, by Laura Roe, Jesse Proudfoot et al, founda at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.623032/full?&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Psychiatry&id=623032
Drugs Uncut: Scottish Drugs Forum at https://www.sdf.org.uk/tag/drugs-uncut/
Coal Country: The Meaning and Memory of Deindustrialization in Postwar Scotland by Ewan Gibbs
Restoration, a charity to help people who use drugs, found at https://www.facebook.com/RestorationFife
Music © Lidhmusic
Dr Adam Corner: Time for Change
This month, Eilidh and Matt talk to Dr Adam Corner, a behaviour change expert working on the Dive In project at the Museums of the University of St Andrews. They discuss the importance of sustainable behaviour, the impact of the ocean on our lives and how museums can impact human behaviour for the better.
Visit the Dive In! website and discover more about the exhibition at https://divein.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/.
You can find out more about Adam at https://adamcorner.uk.
Adam recommends...
Music © Lidhmusic
Dr Luke Gartlan: Picture This
In this episode Eilidh talks to Dr Luke Gartlan from the School of Art History at the University of St Andrews. Luke's research and teaching concerns modern visual practices in the global nineteenth century, particularly with regard to histories and theories of photography.
Luke is currently pursuing a new research project, which concerns early photography in St Andrews within the context of local engagements in empire and global exchange. This study investigates the associations between concepts of British provinciality and empire through close analysis of selected family photograph albums and archives.
They discuss the early history of photography and its connection to the town of St Andrews - from the pragmatics to the motivations; the work and legacy of Julia Margaret Cameron, and how our experience as makers and consumers of photography today is not so different from the Victorians.
Luke recommends...
Checking out the thematic galleries and the Julia Margaret Cameron exhibition at the Wardlaw Museum - https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/museums/visit-us/wardlaw/
Browsing the Photographic Archive online - https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/library/special-collections/photographs/
The St Andrews Photography Festival - https://www.standrewsphotographyfestival.com/
And Eilidh mentions Potato Head - https://collections.st-andrews.ac.uk/item/potato-head/77613
Music © Lidhmusic
Dr Richard Bates: Coast to Coast
In this episode Matt and Eilidh talk to Dr Richard Bates from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of St Andrews. Richard specialises in geophysical survey techniques, coastal communities, archaeology and climate change. He is involved in protecting the cultural heritage of Kilwa Kisiwani, off the coast of Tanzania.
Richard is advising the Museums of the University of St Andrews' Dive In project, which is all about protecting our ocean. He also leads the Fife Coastal Zone project, an interdisciplinary look at the heritage of Fife as viewed from the coast, which aims to explore the past to better inform sustainable approaches to the future.
They discuss ways to protect cultural heritage, the threats climate changes poses to intangible cultural heritage, where the responsibility for change lies and even the role of rap music in protecting the heritage that we cannot see.
Richard recommends...
To find out more about Tanzania and its cultural heritage, the University of St Andrews' impact report on Richard's project is a good starting point.
You can also listen to the rap track Kilwa Yetu by renowned Tanzanian artist Chemical, mentioned by Richard in the episode.
Music © Lidhmusic
Dr Susan Manly: Power Over Herself
Leonie Leeder and Nicola Law guest present this discussion with Dr Susan Manly, Reader in English at the University of St Andrews.
Susan's research focuses on two 18th century female writers, Maria Edgeworth and Mary Wollstonecraft, early feminists who explored ideas of identity, sexuality and the female body.
Leonie, Nicola and Susan discuss how these writers fought back against the oppression women encountered in society, the backlash they received as a result and what we can learn from examining marginalisation in the past.
Susan recommends...
Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon for Mary's feminism.
Maria Edgeworth: Women, Enlightenment and Nation by Cliona O' Gallchoir for insights into Maria, her life and context.
You can also find walks around sites related to Mary Wollstonecraft at Wollstonecraft Walks.
Find out more of Edgeworth's life through the Opening the Edgeworth Papers project at the Bodlein Library, University of Oxford.
And, of course, you can read the works of both Wollstonecraft and Edgeworth themselves.
Music © Lidhmusic
Leonie Leeder and Nicola Law: Sex as Subversion, Fantasy and Power
Please note that this episode will discuss sensitive issues of an adult nature and will not be appropriate for all audiences. Listener discretion is advised.
In this episode Eilidh and Matt talk to Leonie Leeder and Nicola Law, postgraduate students in Museum and Gallery Studies at the University of St Andrews.
Leonie and Nicola will discuss their upcoming exhibition about the Beggar’s Benison Club, an 18th century society dedicated to the celebration of masculine sexuality, and consider what it tells us about sex, sexuality and consent in the 21st century.
If you are affected by any of the issues discussed in this episode you can find sources of support at https://beggarsbenison.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/resources/
Leonie and Nicola recommend...
To find out more about the Beggar's Benison Leonie and Nicola recommend David Stevenson, The Beggar's Benison Club: Sex Clubs of Enlightenment Scotland and Their Rituals (2008).
For enlightenment sex more generally try G.J. Barker-Benfield, The Culture of Sensibility: Sex and Society in Eighteenth Centure Britain (1992).
On sex work through history take a look at the Whores of Yore website. Note that this website contains explicit imagery and strong language.
Music © Lidhmusic
Dr Chris Leakey and Hannah Ladd-Jones: Sea Change
In this episode Eilidh and Matt talk to Dr Chris Leakey and Hannah Ladd-Jones, both part of the Scottish Oceans Institute, based at the University of St Andrews, and the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS).
Chris and Hannah are involved in a new behaviour change initiative called People Ocean Planet, which aims to influence human actions so that they impact the ocean environment for the better. They are also working with the Museums of the University of St Andrews on a project called Dive In, which is all about looking after our ocean.
They discuss the threats facing the ocean, the role of the behaviour change initiatives that can protect them and whether trying to change public behaviour might be sinister.
Chris and Hannah recommend...
To find out more about People Ocean Planet Chris and Hannah recommend that you follow them on Twitter @OceanBehaviours
For Scotland's Marine Assessment see http://marine.gov.scot/sma/.
If you're interested in the psychology of behaviour change check out The Dragons of (Climate) Inaction podcast.
Hannah especially recommends playing the Ocean Heroes game from WWF.
Music © Lidhmusic
Dr Emma Bond: We need to talk about empire
In this episode Matt and Eilidh talk to Dr Emma Bond, Reader in Italian and Comparative Literature in the School of Modern Languages at the University of St Andrews.
Emma works on the circulation of people, texts, objects and cultural artefacts across nations, touching on issues of colonialism, empire, slavery and migration. She is working with the Museums of the University of St Andrews on a project called Recollecting Empire, which explores how colonial presences in museum collections can be re-interpreted with input from communities, and how this approach can be embedded in the Museums' work and processes rather than being a short term focus.
They discuss Emma's research, the signs of empire to look out for in everyday life, the role of museums in perpetuating marginalisation and ways in which we can change the narrative.
Music © Lidhmusic
The Curiosity Conversation Trailer
The Curiosity Conversation speaks with a different expert every month to explore the world through the unexpected, ground-breaking or contested aspects of the stories museums tell.
Brought to you from the Museums of the University of St Andrews. The first episode drops on 25th February, with subsequent episodes monthly on the final Thursday of the month.
Music © Lidhmusic