Embodied Creativity

Designer Mary Hale sits down with host Ilya Vidrin to discuss the essential role of embodiment and physicality in architecture and her set design practice, particularly with inflatables.  Mary Hale is an Associate Teaching Professor at Northeastern University. Mary identifies as a designer with a particular focus on ephemeral spatial experiences, animated and brought to life through projection and movement. Mary founded ROYHALE, an interdisciplinary art, design and design-research practice, in 2014 as a vehicle for this work. Mary especially enjoys collaborations with choreographers, video artists and sound artists.

Biomedical engineer and professional dancer Dr. Shriya Srinivasan sits down with host Ilya Vidrin to discuss the embodied cognition in dance and engineering.  Dr. Shriya Srinivasan is an Assistant Professor at the John A. Paulson Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. She is the founder and director of the Biohybrid Organs and Neuroprosthetics (BIONIC) Lab where engineers, neuroscientists, roboticists, surgeons, and rehabilitation experts solve challenges in neural control and rehabilitation.  Shriya has been awarded the Delsys Prize, the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for her innovative work, and recognized by Forbes and the MIT Technology Review as one of 30 innovators under 30. Alongside her research practice, Shriya is a professional dancer and produces socially relevant pieces with the Anubhava Dance Company.

Internationally renowned Choreographer Sidra Bell sits down with host Ilya Vidrin to discuss the expansive language of movement.  Sidra Bell has been commissioned and presented around the world, blending dance, technology, fashion, and film into bold, genre-defying experiences. Known for her unique movement language and collaborative approach, she has created work for major institutions including New York City Ballet  BODYTRAFFIC, Ailey II, The Juilliard School, Whim W’Him, Ballet Austin, Springboard Danse Montréal, among many others. Beyond the stage, Sidra is also a passionate educator and mentor, shaping the next generation of artists while redefining what leadership in the arts can look like. 

Artist, design researcher, and writer Sara Hendren sits down with host Ilya Vidrin to discuss embodiment and the designed world.    Sara Hendren is an Associate Professor in Art + Design with a joint appointment in the School of Architecture at Northeastern University. Her book What Can A Body Do? How We Meet the Built World (Riverhead/Penguin Random House, 2020) explores the places where disability shows up in design at all scales: assistive technology, furniture, architecture, urban planning, and more. It was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by NPR, a finalist for the Massachusetts Book Award, and won the 2021 Science in Society Journalism book prize.

Dr. Lindsay Brainard, philosopher of creativity, sits down with host Ilya Vidrin to discuss what creativity is and why it matters. Dr. Lindsay Brainard is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Her work spans several philosophical areas, including the philosophy of science, the philosophy of artificial intelligence, epistemology, and aesthetics. You can find out more online at www.lindsaybrainard.com.

Liz shares her philosophy on the relationship between shape and momentum, in and beyond dance. Lerman has spent the past four decades making her artistic research personal, funny, and intellectually vivid. A key aspect of her artistry is opening her process to everyone from shipbuilders to physicists, construction workers to ballerinas, resulting in experiences that are urgent and relevant. www.partneringlab.com/podcast

Liz Lerman, MacArthur Genius and Guggenheim Fellow, sits down with Ilya Vidrin to discuss dance and our capacity to dream. Lerman has spent the past four decades making her artistic research personal, funny, and intellectually vivid. A key aspect of her artistry is opening her process to everyone from shipbuilders to physicists, construction workers to ballerinas, resulting in experiences that are urgent and relevant. www.partneringlab.com/podcast

The Partnering Lab presents Embodied Creativity: a podcast focused on surfacing the methods of creative practitioners. Join our host, Ilya Vidrin, alongside a series of guests, as we explore the relationship between bodies and creativity.