Sfu's Vancity Office Of Community Engagement

This week on Below The Radar, Am Johal is joined by author and associate professor at the Allard Law School at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Brenna Bhandar. She and Am discuss her research into property, property law, and their relationships to histories of colonialism and racial formations. Brenna offers insight into her book Colonial Lives of Property: Law, Land, and Racial Regimes of Ownership. Brenna also talks about gaining an interest concerning the issues of Indigenous dispossession in Canada through her PhD research which was a critique of legal and political forms of recognition, as well as her future projects on property and the doctrine of preemption. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/211-brenna-bhandar.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/211-brenna-bhandar.html Resources: Brenna Bhandar: https://allard.ubc.ca/about-us/our-people/

Dr. Kari Grain is a research associate at the Community Engaged Research Initiative (CERI) and writer of the book, Critical Hope: How to Grapple with Complexity, Lead with Purpose, and Cultivate Transformative Social Change. On this episode of Below the Radar, Kari joins our host Am Johal, to discuss how the seemingly conflicting frameworks of criticalness and hope are both vital to systemic change, as well as the importance of emotions such as anger and grief, and the influence of Gloria Anzaldúa’s Coyolxauhqui imperative. Throughout the episode, Kari shares impactful excerpts from her book, Critical Hope. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/210-kari-grain.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/210-kari-grain.html Resources: Kari Grain: https://karigrain.wordpress.com/ Critical Hope: https://karigrain.wordpress.com/the-book/ Kari Grain’s Dissertation: htt

This week our host Am Johal is joined by NiNi Dongnier, an interdisciplinary choreographer and dancer, and Assistant Professor in Dance at SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts. Together they discuss NiNi’s training and artistic experiences across Inner Mongolia, Beijing, New York, and now Vancouver. Am and NiNi also talk about interdisciplinary collaboration and pedagogy. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/209-nini-dongnier.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/209-nini-dongnier.html Resources: SFU School for the Contemporary Arts: https://www.sfu.ca/sca.html SFU Dance: https://www.sfu.ca/sca/programs/dance.html NUUM Collective: https://nuum.co/ Doppelgänger: https://nuum.co/project/doppelganger Bio: NiNi Dongnier is a choreographer and artist, born in Inner Mongolia, who works in Vancouver and New York. Dongnier works through dance, performance, movin

Independent curator and Vancouver based writer, Joni Low joins our host, Am Johal, on this episode of Below the Radar. They discuss Joni’s book, What Are Our Supports?, including the various contributors to the anthology, and the modes of support local artists find and create. Am and Joni explore artistic practices and the different potential futures which artists are inviting into the city and the world. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/208-joni-low.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/208-joni-low.html Resources: Joni Low’s Website: https://www.jonilow.com/about What Are Our Supports? Book: https://i-o.cc/books/supports What Are Our Supports? 2018 Art Project: https://www.jonilow.com/works/what-are-our-supports Germaine Koh’s Website: https://legacywebsite.front.bc.ca/artist/koh-germaine/ HMH Boothy: https://germainekoh.com/works/hmh-boothy Anna Lowe

This week on Below the Radar, our host Am Johal is joined by writer, editor, and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow of Contemporary Art at SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts, Yani Kong. Am and Yani discuss Yani’s graduate research exploring enchantment and how she got into her work writing arts criticism. They also talk about Canadian art at the 2022 Venice biennale and the relationship between public art and real-estate development in Vancouver. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/207-yani-kong.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/207-yani-kong.html Resources: Yani Kong: https://www.yanikong.com/ SFU School for the Contemporary Arts: https://www.sfu.ca/sca.html The Comparative Media Arts Journal: https://www.sfu.ca/cmajournal.html Yani Kong on the Venice Biennale: https://www.gallerieswest.ca/magazine/stories/venice-biennale/ Rodney Graham’s Spinning Chandelier:

Artistic co-director and co-founder of the WaxFactory, and Assistant Professor in Theatre Performance at SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts, Erika Latta, sits down with Am Johal to explore her journey as a theatre-maker – from her memorable experiences touring throughout Europe, pushing platforms in the mud for site-specific work with Begat Theater, or now, working with SFU theatre performance students on their upcoming production of Strange Joy. Erika also speaks about growing up in the woods in Oregon with artistic parents, pushing artistic boundaries in university, and co-founding WaxFactory. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/206-erika-latta.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/206-erika-latta.html Resources: Erika Latta: https://www.sfu.ca/sca/events---news/news/welcome--erika-latta--assistant-professor/ SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts:

Artist, filmmaker, and Assistant Professor for the School of Contemporary Arts, Nadia Shihab, sits down with Am Johal to explore her path as a filmmaker. Nadia begins by sharing her university days as an Iraqi student at the University of Texas, feeling a personal sense of loss from the war, and burnout from her student activism within a conservative state. She speaks of this as the inspiration for her first film, I Come from Iraq. Nadia also explores the inspirations and meanings of her other films, such as Amal’s Garden and Jaddoland. She and Am also explore her urban planning background, and Nadia shares some advice for aspiring student filmmakers. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/205-nadia-shihab.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/205-nadia-shihab.html Resources: Nadia’s website: https://www.nadiashihab.com/ I Come from Iraq: https://vimeo.com/

Our host Am Johal is joined this week by Dr. Svitlana Matviyenko, Professor of Critical Media Analysis in SFU’s School of Communication and Associate Director of The Digital Democracies Institute. Svitlana talks about her experiences living in Ukraine over the past year, documenting a rising militarization and being attentive to the social changes that war imposes. Am and Svitlana also discuss the asymmetrical cases of misinformation between Ukraine and Russia, as well as how the invasion has merged her research interests of media and cyberwar. This episode was recorded on February 21st, 2023. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/204-svitlana-matviyenko.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/204-svitlana-matviyenko.html Resources: Svitlana Matviyenko: https://www.sfu.ca/communication/people/faculty/svitlana-matviyenko.html SFU School of Communication: http:/

This week our host Am Johal is joined by Cliff Atleo, a scholar and professor in SFU’s School of Resource & Environmental Management. Am and Cliff discuss prioritising Indigenous communities' wants in environmental and economic movements, Cliff’s past work with the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, and Iron Dog Books. Together they consider how to navigate institutional and governmental bureaucracy in matters of Indigenous governances, resource management, and research. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/203-cliff-atleo.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/203-cliff-atleo.html Resources: Cliff Atleo: https://www.kamayaam.com/ SFU's School of Resource and Environmental Management: http://www.sfu.ca/rem.html Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council: https://nuuchahnulth.org/ Ahousaht et. Al Case: https://www.ratcliff.com/publications/aboriginal-right-sell-fish-ahousaht-

Former Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Indian Summer Festival and new Director of Public Engagement and Learning at the Vancouver Art Gallery, Sirish Rao, speaks with Am Johal about his previous work as a Himalayan mountain guide, as a book publisher in India, as well as his experiences with the Jaipur Literature festival and the Indian Summer Festival. This episode explores the creation of arts organizations to celebrate local and regional storytelling. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/202-sirish-rao.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/202-sirish-rao.html Resources: Sirish Rao: https://www.sirishrao.com/ Indian Summer Festival: https://indiansummerfest.ca/about-us/ Tara Books: https://tarabooks.com/about/ The Night Life of Trees: https://tarabooks.com/shop/the-night-life-of-trees/ Jaipur Literature Festival: https://jaipurliteraturefestival.o

On this episode of Below the Radar, our host Am Johal speaks with June Francis, a professor, researcher, and advocate for anti-racist and decolonial practices in universities, businesses, and governments. They discuss how gathering data about racism can be an important step toward equity and racial justice. June also describes her work in connecting Black and African Diaspora communities with institutions and legislators to enact systemic change. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/201-june-francis.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/201-june-francis.html Resources: Beedie School of Business: https://beedie.sfu.ca/ Institute for the Black and African Diaspora (formerly the Institute for Diasporic Research and Engagement): http://www.sfu.ca/diaspora-institute.html SFU Black Caucus: https://www.sfu.ca/black-caucus.html Hogan’s Alley Society: https://www

On this episode of Below the Radar, our host Am Johal speaks with Marianne Nicolson, an artist and activist of the Musgamakw Dzawada’enuxw First Nations. They discuss ways that Marianne uses art practice to uphold Kwakwaka’wakw philosophies and resist settler-colonial fictions about Indigenous peoples. Marianne describes how her work challenges the colonial practice of treating Indigenous artmaking traditions as resources to be extracted. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/200-marianne-nicolson.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/200-marianne-nicolson.html Resources: Marianne Nicolson: https://www.mariannenicolson.com/ The Sea Captain at Surrey Central skytrain station: https://www.surrey.ca/arts-culture/surrey-public-art/public-art-collection/the-sea-captain Cliff Painting at Kingcome Inlet: https://themedicineproject.com/marianne-nicolson.html#null

Over the past 4 years, Below the Radar has grown to be the lively platform for sharing knowledge that it is now, with our 200th episode coming up next week. As we reach this milestone, we are also looking to move to a new seasonal release format, consisting of two 15-episode seasons per calendar year—one in the Spring and one in the Fall. In this short trailer, listen to our host, Am Johal, talk about the Spring season of Below the Radar, as well as a preview of some of our upcoming guests. From all of us at Below the Radar, we would like to thank you for listening and engaging with the vibrant ideas and voices we’ve had on the show. We look forward to continuing to share the work of artists, activists, community members, and researchers across disciplines, and we’re excited for the conversations that are yet to come. Thanks again for listening, and we’ll catch you next time on Below the Radar. Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/2

In the summer of 2021, Megaphone Magazine piloted its first podcast mentorship series, inspired by the writings and themes of the 2021 edition of the Voices of The Street anthology, “INSIDE we are all the same.” This special episode of Below the Radar is a live recording of a conversation between our teammate Paige Smith, Megaphone Magazine’s Julia Aoki, and Megaphone vendor and storyteller Yvonne Mark, as they discuss the creation of the Voices of the Street podcast, which was featured on Below the Radar the previous year. Julia, Yvonne and Paige discuss the goals of the podcasting project, the power of auditory community storytelling, and how podcasting can be an accessible form of knowledge sharing. This is a recording from their presentation at SFU’s Community-Engaged Research Initiative’s academic conference: Horizons: Crisis and Social Transformation in Community-Engaged Research, which was recorded live and in-person on May 28, 2022. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community

On the seventh and final episode of The Climate Imaginary, a Below the Radar series, Am Johal is joined by Karenna Gore, the founder and executive director of Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary. In their conversation, they discuss the intersection of environmental ethics and theology, the wisdom contained in tradition, and the need for a new relationship between humans and nature – one not based on domination. Through the contemplation of faith and ecological responsibilities, this episode puts forward alternative ways to resist the climate crisis. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-climate-imaginary/198-karenna-gore.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/198-karenna-gore.html Resources: Karenna Gore: https://centerforearthethics.org/profile/karenna-gore/ Center for Earth Ethics: https://centerforearthethics.org/what-are-earth-ethic

On the sixth episode of our Below the Radar series: The Climate Imaginary, Am Johal is joined by journalist and researcher Julian Brave NoiseCat. Julian’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBC, and more. They discuss coming of age in a time of several prominent Indigenous movements that combined political and environmental activism, as well as Julian’s work in policy making for projects such as the Green New Deal. Julian also talks about the book he is working on— We Survived the Night—that braids together reportage on Indigenous peoples in the United States and Canada with personal narratives. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-climate-imaginary/197-julian-brave-noisecat.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/197-julian-brave-noisecat.html Resources: Julian Brave NoiseCat: https://www.julianbravenoisecat.com/ Dakota A

On the fifth episode of our Below the Radar series: The Climate Imaginary, our host Am Johal is joined by investigative climate reporter and author, Geoff Dembicki. In this conversation, they discuss Geoff’s upbringing around the tar sands in Alberta, Canada and how that led to his journalistic focus on climate. Geoff talks about his books, Are We Screwed? How a New Generation is Fighting to Survive Climate Change (2017) and The Petroleum Papers (2022), and shares some of his research around the climate disinformation campaigns conducted by Big Oil companies. They also talk about the shift of climate denial from traditional news outlets to digital channels, as well as the work of youth activists to combat these narratives. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-climate-imaginary/196-geoff-dembicki.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/196-geoff-dembicki.ht

On the fourth episode of our Below the Radar series: The Climate Imaginary, our host Am Johal is joined by Dr. Andréanne Doyon, Assistant Professor at the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University. They talk about sustainability versus resilience, Andréanne’s journey from being a planning practitioner to an academic, and Andréanne’s research around climate planning. They also discuss the role of researchers and planners in the climate emergency, looking at alternate methods of sharing research and how to engage with a community’s specific knowledge and needs. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-climate-imaginary/195-andreanne-doyon.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/195-andreanne-doyon.html Resources: Dr. Andréanne Doyon: https://www.sfu.ca/rem/planning/people/profiles/doyon.html SFU Resource and Environmental Plannin

On the third episode of our Below the Radar series: The Climate Imaginary, our host Am Johal is joined by Charles Henry. Charles is a scholar and current president of the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). He joins Host Am Johal to discuss climate change and the works of CLIR on ensuring cultural heritage artifacts are safe and accessible within the digital space. Charles identifies current climate conditions as a threat to cultural artifacts and archives. Charles also talks about CLIR project with African Universities to ensure the preservation of cultural resources by digitising them and making them accessible over time. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-climate-imaginary/194-charles-henry.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/194-charles-henry.html Resources: Council on Library and Information Resources: https://www.clir.org/

On the second episode of our Below the Radar series: The Climate Imaginary, Steve Tornes and Alex K Masse sit down to talk with Kendra Fanconi, artistic director of The Only Animal. Kendra’s work with The Only Animal—a theatre company based in Vancouver—arises from a deep engagement with place and unfolds in collaboration with the natural world. Together, they discuss the process of making theatre in the anthropocene, The Only Animal’s Artist Brigade cohort of 100 climate-engaged artists, and the role that artists play in re-imagining the climate crisis. Through collectively traversing climate grief and anxiety, they talk over how collaboration brings forward new ideas and lessons on sharing with our natural world. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/the-climate-imaginary/193-kendra-fanconi.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/193-kendra-fanconi.html Resou