Scratching the Surface

Kate Wagner is the creator of the viral blog McMansion Hell and has written about architecture, design, and culture for a variety of publications including Curbed, The Atlantic, Architectural Digest, and more. She recently graduated from Johns Hopkins with a Masters of Arts in Audio Science, specializing in architectural acoustics. In this episode, Jarrett and Kate talk about origins of the site, diverse forms of architecture criticism, and using humor to educate. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.

Cab Broskoski and Chris Sherron are two of the founders of Are.na, a knowledge sharing platform that combines the creative back-and-forth of social media with the focus of a productivity tool. Before working on Arena, Cab was a digital artist and Chris a graphic designer and in this episode, they talk about their desire for a new type of bookmarking tool and building a platform for collaborative, interdisciplinary research as well as larger questions around open source tools, research as artistic practice, and subverting the norms of social media. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.

Chappell Ellison is currently a content strategist at Huge. She previously worked as a designer and was part of the inaugural class of SVA's MFA in Design Criticism Program. In this episode, Chappell and Jarrett talk about her move from design to writing, the role of the critic, and how a dreamlike memory from Disneyworld made her realize she wanted to be a designer. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.

Laurel Schwulst is a designer, writer, teacher, and webmaster. She runs an independent design practice in New York City and teaches in design programs at Yale and Rutgers. She previously was the creative director for The Creative Independent and a web designer at Linked By Air. In this episode, Laurel and Jarrett talk about how horses got her into graphic design, what websites can be, the potential of the peer-to-peer internet, and how writing and teaching influence her practice. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.

Martin Lorenz and Lupi Asensio are the founders of the Hamburg-based design studio TwoPoints.net. Founded in 2007, the studio's work blends graphic design, typography, and editorial. The couple are also teachers and have taught in design programs around the world. In this episode, Jarrett talks to Lupi and Martin about their work and process, the role of teaching in their practice, and how writing informs their work. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.

For the 100th episode of Scratching the Surface, Jarrett Fuller is joined by one of his oldest and closest friends Rory King to talk about their parallel journeys in design and evolving design practices. Rory is currently a graduate student in Cranbrook's 2D Design Department and has worked as a designer at Pratt Institute and 2x4. Together, Rory and Jarrett collaborated on Sway, an experimental zine and short-lived podcast that heavily influenced the work they both doing now. They also reflect on their undergraduate education, talk about Rory's current research work, and the role of writing and teaching in their work. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.

Kelsey Keith is the editor-in-chief of Curbed. Before that, she wrote about design and architecture for Dwell, Architizer, and a variety of other publications. In this episode, Kelsey and Jarrett talk about the late 2000s New York media landscape, cobbling together a freelance career, and her editorial vision for Curbed. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.

Alexander Tochilovsky is a designer, curator, and educator. He's currently the curator at the Herb Lubalin Study Center and an instructor at Cooper Union. He studied graphic design at Cooper Union and went to graduate school at Cranbrook. In this episode, Alexander and I talk about his background and how he got interested in design, the role of design history in his practice, and how we can do a better job of learning from and teaching history today. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.

Andrew Blauvelt has been a designer, writer, curator, and educator. He's currently the director of the Cranbrook Art Museum, a position he's held since 2015. Before that, he worked at the Walker Art Center in a variety of roles including Senior Curator of Design, Research, and Publishing; Chief of Communications; and Design Director. He also served as Director of Graduate Studies and Chair of the Graphic Design Department at North Carolina State University and has written for a variety of publications on design. In this episode, Jarrett and Andrew walk through his career and talk about how he moved between various disciplines, his early interest in design theory, and how the discourse around graphic design has changed over his career. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.

Christopher Hawthorne is the Chief Design Officer for the city of Los Angeles, a brand new position appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti. Before that, he was architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times from 2004 to early 2018. He is Professor of the Practice at Occidental College and has taught at U.C Berkeley, Columbia University, and Souther California Institute of Architecture. In this episode, Jarrett and Christopher talk about this new job and how he's approaching it, reading Paul Goldberger in high school, and the changing role of the architecture critic. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm.