Scratching the Surface

Kyle Chayka, a writer on art and technology, discusses his insights on minimalism and its cultural implications. He explores how minimalism has been reshaped by the pandemic, unraveling its association with high culture and deeper complexities. The conversation also dives into the role of aesthetics in design, the evolution of writing about design, and how cultural narratives influence our understanding of taste. Chayka emphasizes the interplay of technology and capitalism in shaping cultural perceptions while championing critical engagement with cultural consumption.

Leonard Koren is a writer, aesthetics expert, artist, and publisher. He’s the author of books like Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers, What Artists Do, Arranging Things: A Rhetoric of Object Placement, Musings of a Curious Aesthete, and most recently On Creating Things Aesthetic. From 1976 to 1981, he was the editor and publisher of Wet: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing. In this conversation, Jarrett and Leonard talk about methodologies and conceptual tools, bookmaking, avant garde graphic design, and the influence of Leonard’s architecture education on his career. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/253-leonard-koren. 
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Ingrid Schroder is the director of the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. She was previously Head of Design Teaching and Director of the MPhil in Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture. In this conversation, Jarrett and Ingrid talk about the legacy and future of the AA, the changing states of architecture and design education, and what experimental design education looks like today. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/252-ingrid-schroder. 
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Cynthia Davidson is the cofounder and executive director of Anyone Corporation, a nonprofit architecture think tank. She is the editor of the architecture journal Log, and previously ANY magazine, an architecture theory tabloid that published from 1993-2000. She is also responsible for more than 40 books in print, including 24 books in the Anyone project’s Writing Architecture series, published with MIT Press. In this conversation, Jarrett and Cynthia talk about the evolution of architecture publishing, the state of design discourse, and how the visual design of Log and ANY shapes how it is read. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/251-cynthia-davidson. 
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Jacob R. Moore was named the executive director of The Architectural League of New York in June 2023. He previously served as associate director of the Temple Hoyne Buell Center for the Study of American Architecture at Columbia University. He’s worked as a writer, editor, curator, and publisher and helped co-found The Avery Review. In this conversation, Jarrett and Jacob talk about the mission of The Architectural League, the role of non-profits in design discourse, and the changing state of design publishing. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/250-jacob-moore. 
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José Esparza Chong Cuy is the executive director and chief curator of Storefront for Art and Architecture, a New York-based institution that amplifies the understanding of the built environment through artistic practice. Before Storefront, José was an associate curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and an associate curator at the Museo Jumex. In this conversation, Jarrett and José talk about the history and mission of Storefront, their year-long curatorial framework, and balancing institutionalism and experimentation. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/249-jose-esparza-chong-cuy. 
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Kathleen and Christopher Sleboda run Draw Down Books, a publishing project and bookshop focused on graphic design, typography, and printed matter. They also work as graphic designers for clients and teach at Boston University, RISD, and the University of Connecticut. Previously, Christopher was Director of Graphic Design at the Yale University Art Gallery for 15 years and Kathleen worked as an archivist at the Beinecke Rare Books Library at Yale. In this episode, Jarrett talks with them about experimental publishing, publishing as a form of community building, and the continued relevance of printed matter. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/248-kathleen-christopher-sleboda.
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Aaron Betsky is a critic, curator, and administrator. Until 2022, he was the director of Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture and Design. He previous was the president and dean of the School of Architecture at Taliesin, the director of the Cincinnati Art Museum, director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute, and a curator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He’s the author, most recently, of The Monster Leviathan: Anarchitecture. In this conversation, Jarrett and Aaron talk about anarchitecture and the relationship between theory and practice, the role of modernism, and why the future is multidisciplinary. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/247-aaron-betsky. 
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Alison Place discusses feminist design principles, designers challenging norms, and rethinking critiques. They explore feminism in design education and upcoming plans for an open source archive. The conversation also touches on the intersection of conflict and change in communities through productive transformation.

Michael Cina is a graphic designer, creative director, typographer, and artist. Since 2010, he’s run Cina Associates where he’s worked on projects for clients like Disney, Adobe, and Coca-Cola, as well as his long-running collaboration with Ghostly International. He previously co-founded YouWorkForThem, a designer-run online shop for typefaces, stock art, and other resources. In this conversation, Jarrett and Michael talk about the challenges and opportunities in working across mediums, how painting influenced his commercial design work, and how the internet shifted the state of design discourse. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/245-michael-cina. 
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