In this podcast we discuss visibility, haunting and fascism with art historian and theorist Elizabeth Otto. Otto's book Haunted Bauhaus explores the marginalized histories of occult spirituality, gender fluidity and queer identity within the Bauhaus; offering fresh insight into one of the most canonized periods of European art history.
The Bauhaus (1919–1933 ... Show More
Aug 22
Jane Draycott, "Fulvia: The Woman Who Broke All the Rules in Ancient Rome" (Yale UP, 2025)
Fulvia was born into wealth, privilege, and prestige around the year 80 BCE, yet there was nothing inherently special about her—she was not a saint, an empress, or a queen. But during the years leading up to the fall of the Roman Republic, Fulvia was moving in the most powerful s ... Show More
1h 3m
Aug 20
Sandip Roy, "Chapal Rani, the Last Queen of Bengal" (Seagull Books, 2026)
Chapal Rani was one of India’s most famous performers of jatra, Bengal’s popular theater. Traditionally, all the roles, including female roles, were played by men—and Chapal Rani was perhaps the most prominent performer of women on the stage. He’s also the subject of a new book f ... Show More
42m 23s
Apr 2021
R. Armstrong and R. Hughes "The Art of Experiment: Post-Pandemic Knowledge Practices for 21st-Century Architecture and Design" (Routledge, 2020)
The Art of Experiment: Post-Pandemic Knowledge Practices for 21st-Century Architecture and Design (Routledge, 2020) is a handbook for navigating our troubled and precarious times. In search of new knowledge practices that can help us make the world livable again, this book takes ... Show More
1h 15m
Apr 2020
66 — Zaha Hadid — 1/4 — AA Days
In our first episode on Zaha Hadid, we dive into the spell-binding work of one of the most famous, controversial and interesting architects of her generation. We begin by imagining the unique atmosphere of the Architectural Association in the 1970s, where Zaha was a student, taug ... Show More
58m 26s
Jul 2019
Vril Society Pt. 2: Nazi Moon Base
In 1884, the Fox sisters sparked a "spirit channeling" movement that inspired mystics, Nazis and UFO believers. Supposed medium Maria Orsitsch was all three of those things. However, illness and an alien-crazed pop culture landscape may well have contributed to her visions. Parca ... Show More
48m 16s
Mar 2022
Uwe Schütte, "Kraftwerk: Future Music from Germany" (Penguin, 2021)
Uwe Schütte's Kraftwerk: Future Music from Germany (Penguin, 2021) is not your typical rock star biography. Eschewing gossipy interpersonal details, Schütte instead contextualizes Kraftwerk within contemporaneous debates about German cultural identity in the wake of Nazi atrociti ... Show More
54m 13s
Jun 2021
08 Dadaism: Early 20th Century Nonsense and Chaos
Dadaists made photomontages, sculptures, and readymades that were weird and absurd. Artists such as Hannah Höch, Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven, and Marcel Duchamp pushed the boundaries of what could be considered art. If you’ve ever felt like the world doesn’t make sense, ... Show More
30m 20s