work x work ON AIR: Recent Episodes
work x work
WXW ON AIR is a pop up radio lounge exploring storytelling and creativity in sound. The inaugural sessions at Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn led to the creation of a fully formed culture festival, On Air Fest.
Take an auditory journey with these global recordings you won’t find anywhere else. In an exclusive showcase, Clocktower Radio features artist, writer and documentarian Richard Fleming with art director of Howl! Ted Riederer--the artist behind Never Records, the nomadic pop-up record store / recording studio devoted to global experimental sounds. Listen as these audio innovators share personal stories and honor vinyl as the most organic and lasting medium for preserving culture.
RADIO DIARIES THE ART OF AUDIO STORYTELLING
Joe Richman, producer and host of Radio Diaries, leads work x work Creative Director, Scott Newman, through a discussion about experience, craft, and audio storytelling.
Drawing from his experience of “being in front of the mic as opposed to behind the mic,” Richman began as a reporter and producer before switching to the other side to pioneer his own form of immersive journalism. Taking the interviewer out of the narrative, he hands the storytelling directly to the characters themselves—creating audio diaries.
There’s something about audio that really allows people to relax and be themselves.” Listen to examples of Radio Diaries’ award-winning documentaries, including their most recent series, “working,” based on newly discovered tapes recorded in the 70’s by author Studs Terkel.
For this conversation, four women who transcend cultures and mediums come together for a fascinating exploration of the effects of gender and social justice on creative process. We are joined by artist, MIT Media Lab fellow, and founder of Slow Factory Céline Semaan, known for transforming NASA satellite imagery into wearable prints. Semaan discusses how her experiences as a Lebanese refugee have directly influenced her work and ethos. We also chat with Lainya Magaña, the self-made founder of A&O PR, who delves into artistic inspiration and her role as a woman of color in a mostly white art world; and Rachel Lee Hovnanian, a new media artist whose sculpture, installations, paintings, and chemistry experiments are influenced by everything from artificial insemination to the instant gratification of junk food. Hosted by Laura Feinstein, co-producer of work x work ON AIR and former editor at Fusion’s Sex + Life vertical, this discussion is mandatory listening for those seeking to understand the effects of feminism and activism on today's creative culture.
For this hour, editor Anita Li of The Other Wave and previously of Fusion leads a discussion on the role storytellers of color can play in today’s social and political climate. Featuring HuffPo Black Voices Senior Editor Lilly Workneh, filmmaker and writer Dean Marcial, and the multi-talented creative producer Sahra V. Nguyen, this conversation shines a light on the ways we approach covering underrepresented communities, the sometimes difficult journey to find your calling, and how to help marginalized stories get told. Prior to Fusion, Anita worked as news director at Complex Media, weekend editor at Mashable, on-air reporter at CTV Ottawa, research assistant for The New Yorker's Beijing bureau, and reporter/photographer at The Toronto Star.
What began as a passion project of discovery in Gowanus has turned into a global community of creatives curating their neighborhoods in over 100 countries and counting. Listen as Principal & Creative Director of the social impact design agency, Hyperakt, Deroy Peraza, and Community Manager, Alex Gracey, discuss the story of their project, On The Grid, and the role creatives have and should have on their communities.
Joined by On The Grid curators Patrick Richardson of Franklyn Creative Studio and Ray Marrero of work x work, also, Megan Marini of 3X3 Design, an urban planning research design studio, they discuss everything from our relationships with our local bodegas to the impact of gentrification.
In this Clocktower Radio feature, producer, and host David Weinstein, uncover the roots of the musical movements that define what we listen to today.
In an unprecedented showcase, David welcomes Mary Macarthur Griffin and Carlotta Schoolman, legendary director/producers of The Kitchen performance space in Soho during its heyday in the 70s-80s. Listen as they share rare and previously unheard recordings from the NO WAVE scene, artists Eric Bogosian, Glenn Branca, and more. Plus, discover the birth of performance art with early work by Laurie Anderson.
Restauranteur Andrew Tarlow, of Diner, Marlow & Sons, Reynard and more, has been redefining culinary in Brooklyn for over 15 years with a unique blend of style, integrity and innovation. Listen as Andrew is joined by Artist Mason Salterelli, a Brooklyn transplant from New Orleans known for his raw intuition and narrative style, and work x work creative director Scott Newman, as they discover they have a common approach even while working in vastly different creative mediums. Bonus, learn the secret to maintaining an aggressive beard.
PATRICK PARRISH GALLERY: THE ART IN OBJECTS
Curator and gallerist Patrick Parrish joins lighting designer Bec Brittain and ceramicist Cody Hoyt to explore the process of design and the unique point of views of these creative iconoclasts. Listen as they discuss how artistic frustrations can lead to breakthroughs, the methodical approach to discovering new mediums, unorthodox workspaces, and finding a niche in the massive NYC art scene.
Legendary DJ Stretch Armstrong and artist Richard Fleming have a history together, but lost touch for ten years. Listen as they reconnect on air and reveal stories that rewind their own careers and the story of hip hop itself.
Adrian Bartos, better known as Stretch Armstrong, of Stretch & Bobbito on WKCR, the seminal show credited with introducing the world to Jay Z, Nas, Notorious B.I.G. and more, more recently, co-published a new art book dedicated to the culture of club flyers. This unique survey represents the roots of NYC club culture as it impacted the hip hop movement today. Listen as Richard plays recorders that Stretch turned him on to, recalling the magic of discovery that is sadly lost in today’s radio landscape.
In this hour, food writer and editor Emily Saladino discuss storytelling, the overlap between food appreciation and marketing, underrated international "weird foods", and the delicate art of day jobs with Darren Wong, creator of the Raindrop Cake phenomenon, and visual artist, event planner, and chef Julia Sherman. The mastermind behind Salad For President, Sherman intended for the site to be an evolving publishing project that draws a meaningful connection between food, art, and everyday obsessions; so far it has been covered in Vogue, WSJ.com, Food & Wine, and many others. Currently a freelance writer and culinary student, Emily Saladino's past positions have included working as a Senior Editor at Tasting Table, and as a contributor to such publications as Bloomberg, BBC, Travel + Leisure, Town & Country, Conde Nast Traveler, Bon Appetit, USA Today, and New York Magazine, and Fodor's Brooklyn. Listen in as these three illustrious members of the NYC food community come together to celebrate the process and inspiration behind the foods we love, hate, and often overlook.
Jonathan Mitchell, host and producer of The Truth on the Radiotopia podcast network, is known for creating “movies for your ears.” In this hour, he and writer/producers Diana McCorry and Louis Kornfield take us on an immersive performance that blends theater, interactive sound, and freeform radio—exploring how the truth is always more complicated than any first listen. In an emotional segment, follow Diana as she leads us through one of The Truth’s first narratives—an exploration of age, mental illness, and the sub-conscience.
Jonathan Mitchell is a triple threat of writer, director, and producer, whose work has ranged from documentary shorts, fictional stories, non-narrated sound collages, and original music. His work has appeared on RadioLab, Studio 360, This American Life, Hearing Voices, Fair Game, The Next Big Thing, and PBS’s Nova, and he has been the recipient of the Peabody Award, The Sarah Lawrence College International Audio Fiction Award, and the Gold Mark Time Award for Best Science Fiction Audio.
Louis Kornfield is a teacher and ensemble member at NYC's Magnet Theater, who regularly performs with improv team The Boss as part of Thursday Night Out, as well as Theory of Everything and MegaLou. Diana McCorry is a graduate of The New School University who now produces independent content with Dogfish Pictures and Greyshack Films and pens screenplays.
In this riveting hour, filmmaker Raafi Rivero sits down with photographer Andre D. Wagner and Fusion's executive director of audio Mandana Mofidi to explore the rich craft and technique that goes into documenting daily life. The trio also discusses issues of race, walking that delicate balance between popular aesthetics and personal vision, the often undocumented diversity that lives within cities, and who actually calls the shots when it comes to "what is or isn’t beautiful".
Raafi Rivero is an award-winning lensman, who’s created numerous short films, music videos for artists like Ghostface Killah and Styles P, and, most recently, the full-length feature film “72 Hours: a Brooklyn Love Story?” He has also developed commercial projects for HBO, Microsoft, Sony, and The Rockefeller Foundation.
Andre D. Wagner’s portraits and documentary photographs are gaining widespread recognition. His analog and digital works have appeared in solo and group exhibitions in New York, Paris, and Los Angeles and is reguarly featured in the NYT, LA Times, The FADER, Business Insider and many others.
Mandana Mofidi is a multi-talented, multi-media powerhouse. Prior to her work with Fusion, she was a producer for VICE HBO, CBS, and FRONTLINE, as well as a freelance radio journalist for Monocle Magazine.
In this feature, Grammy-award winning producer Steve Rosenthal, former owner of the legendary Magic Shop recording studio, sits down with groundbreaking R&B music producer Leo Sacks, award-winning producer Stewart Lerman, and Sommor McCoy, founder of the Mixtape Museum, to discuss how archival material can be refreshed and renewed, and the next wave in digitizing and preserving music.
As the founder of the Mixtape Museum, Sommer McCoy is dedicated to advancing the public understanding and preservation of the art of the mixtape, as well as the sourcing and etymology of music and the history of hip hop. She believes the past can and should inform the future—and we couldn't agree more. After 50 years in the music business, Leo Sacks has worked with hundreds of artists, including some of the most pivotal R&B acts of all time, like Aretha Franklin, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Diana Ross. As a producer, he has also worked for Sony Masterworks, helping both with new and archival recordings. One of the most in-demand producers of all-time, Stewart Lerman has collaborated with the Roaches, Nekko Case, and Elvis Castello (among many others) and worked as a curator behind the music of Boardwalk Empire, HBO’s Vinyl, and The Royal Tenenbaums (among, again, many many others).
Bringing this group of music industry legends together, this conversation is a must listen for audiophiles, music obsessives, and NYC culture enthusiasts.
Jennifer Gilson presents The Living Room Nomadic—a series of live, intimate performances featuring singer/songwriters and artists with a unique point of view.
In this segment, Joan Wasser aka Joan as Police Woman, and emerging singer/songwriter Anni Rossi perform a few of their most emotive hits. Join these two classically-trained musicians as they discuss “where ideas come from”, life on the road, and how they write their powerful works.
Annie Rossi is a multi-instrumental sound artist, whose album Rockwell was created with legendary producer Steve Albini at Electrical Audio studios in Chicago. Known for blending the traditional with the avant guard—utilizing everything from custom instruments to the electric viola—she has toured with Scottish indie-electronic act Camera Obscura, the Ting Tings and Headlights.
Joan, who began her career playing the violin at just 8, has toured with such illustrious acts as Antony and the Johnstons, Lou Reed, and The Scissor Sisters. Her work has been described as “Punk Rock R&B,” shifting through numerous genres (and instruments!) and making her a true chameleon of sound.
Artist and curator Kimia Ferdowsi Kline kicks off the Art Talk series with painter Matt Phillips in a conversation about the process of making art in our consumer-based culture. Listen as they discuss the role of an artist in today’s social media landscape and how artists revel in ideas and feed societies with their observations.
In addition to being the art curator at Wythe Hotel, Kimia Ferdowski Kline is a painter who holds an M.F.A. in visual arts from the San Francisco Art Institute. She is represented by Turn Gallery.
Matt Phillips is an abstract painter and also a professor at FIT. He is represented by Steven Harvey Fine Art Projects.
Will Eisner liked to say he was there at the birth of comics, and he's often called the father of the graphic novel. In honor of Eisner's centennial, Imaginary Worlds host Eric Molinsky looks at how the creator of "The Spirit" and "Contract With God" shaped comics today. Featuring panelists Danny Fingeroth FMR Editor at Marvel Comics, Joan Hilty Comics Editor at Nickelodeon and Comic Artist, Dean Haspiel.