The Root of the Matter: Wasteland
The Wellcome Collection Podcast
In the final episode of ‘The Root of the Matter’, JC takes us to the least human habitat of all – the wasteland. It’s a space which often fills us with a sense of foreboding and yet, these places teach us some of the most profound lessons about the plant world and our relationship to it: Author of Islands of Abandonment: Life in the post-human landscape, , shows us how wastelands can demonstrate nature’s resilience in the most hostile of situations. Artist and writer explains how plants force us to fundamentally rethink our ideas about intelligence beyond the...
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The Root of the Matter: Wetlands
The Wellcome Collection Podcast
What does the word ‘wetland’ mean to you? Many of us don’t encounter them at all, and at best we might think of a muddy, boggy marshland. But these landscapes, and the plants that thrive in them, are crucial for ecological health, biodiversity, and capturing carbon. In this episode, JC and her contributors invite you to see these misunderstood spaces in a new light. Ecologist and writer talks about the cultural and ecological significance of Nam Lolwe (also known as Lake Victoria) to the Luo peoples who live on its shores. , of the USA's Sierra Club, explains the impact...
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The Root of the Matter: Woodland
The Wellcome Collection Podcast
We think of forests and woodlands as wild spaces, or areas where we can lose ourselves in nature, and yet they also provide us with a wealth of resources such as food, building materials, or medicines. But they are also globally under threat of destruction… In this episode, JC delves into the contradictions in our relationship with woodlands, and explores different ways we can think about them, if we are to use and protect them more wisely. , a Yanomami artist from the Amazon, and anthropologist and interpreter Anna Maria Machado, share their understanding of the forest and the...
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The Root of the Matter: Farmland
The Wellcome Collection Podcast
Fruit and veg are a clear link to our relationship to the plant world. Yet many of us have little understanding of the farming industry and the impacts it has on our planet, in bringing crops to our plates.In this episode, JC untangles the knots of these complex global food systems - and focuses on a grain that is central to many of our diets, wheat. Professor of Archeological Science, , shares how our early ancestors began to cultivate crops, and why crops may have begun to cultivate us too. Author and environmental activist sheds light on the impacts and fragility of the modern...
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The Root of the Matter: The Garden
The Wellcome Collection Podcast
Gardens are hugely personal, they are an extension of how we see ourselves and how we are in the world. They can also be a strong reminder of what is excluded as much as what is included. In this episode JC asks, what does the Garden reveal about the way we relate to the natural world and to each other? Writer and grower explores colonial legacies in the garden, through our use of language and readiness to embrace and celebrate some plants, whilst excluding others. We visit the , where artist and urban farmer, Michael Smythe showcases the uses of common so-called weeds like ribwort plantain...
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The Root of the Matter: Trailer
The Wellcome Collection Podcast
In Wellcome Collection’s new series, ‘The Root of the Matter’, we join JC Niala on a journey to understand how plants can provide a lens on human health, history and belonging.
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Hello Happiness: Ecstasy
The Wellcome Collection Podcast
In the final episode of our podcast, Bidisha takes us on a journey through the highest of highs, from nightclubbing and the ecstasies of religion and drugs, to mania. Artist shares his personal take on the connections between movement, music and bodies. (‘DJ Annie Mac’) speaks about the power of nightclubbing, how ecstasy and dance music go hand in hand and how she has managed to maintain her sense of euphoria and delight over the last couple of years. From taking MDMA in the 80s to the work of a religious professional, the vicar, musician and radio...
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Hello Happiness: Joy
The Wellcome Collection Podcast
Bidisha explores joy, from the psychology of our earliest laughs to collective and solitary pleasures like comedy, food and performance.
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Hello Happiness: Tranquillity
The Wellcome Collection Podcast
When was the last time you felt utterly tranquil? Moya Lothian-McLean searches for an oasis of calm, taking Wellcome Collection’s ‘Tranquillity’ exhibition as a point of inspiration.
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Hello Happiness: Resolve
The Wellcome Collection Podcast
In this episode, Bidisha chats to a variety of guests about their personal experiences of resolve and considers its complicated relationship to happiness.
info_outlineWe think of forests and woodlands as wild spaces, or areas where we can lose ourselves in nature, and yet they also provide us with a wealth of resources such as food, building materials, or medicines. But they are also globally under threat of destruction…
In this episode, JC delves into the contradictions in our relationship with woodlands, and explores different ways we can think about them, if we are to use and protect them more wisely.
Joseca, a Yanomami artist from the Amazon, and anthropologist and interpreter Anna Maria Machado, share their understanding of the forest and the threats it is currently facing.
Forestry expert Rebecca Latchford, talks to us about how our models of forest conservation and usage fundamentally needs to change if they are still going to exist for future generations.
And Michael Pollan, author of ‘This is your mind on plants’, talks about the mind altering properties and potential benefits of psychoactive fungi which grow in the forests.
Presented by JC Niala
Lead Produced by Alannah Chance
Produced by Mae-Li Evans
Music and sound design by Alice Boyd
Artwork by Faye Heller
The Root of the Matter is a Reduced Listening production for Wellcome Collection.
You can find the full transcript for this episode, and much more, on the Wellcome Collection website: The Root of the Matter | Wellcome Collection