Scratching the Surface

Епізоди

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  187. Willo Perron (Originally aired 5/12/21) 22.07.2026 47хв

  We're taking the summer off and rebroadcasting some of our favorite episodes in the archives over the next few months. Today we're rebroadcasting our 2021 episode with Willo Perron, who was named Wallpaper's 2026 Designer of the Year. We'll be back with new episodes in September. — Willo Perron is a designer, creative director, and partner of Perron-Roettinger (now Perron Studios) whose work spans branding, interiors, and live performance. Willo has designed stage sets, packaging, and marketing material for artists like Kanye West, JAY-Z, St. Vincent, and Rihanna as well as branding and retail design for Adidas, Yeezy, and American Apparel. In this episode, Jarrett and Willo talk about the term ‘creative director’, his self-education in design, and the overlap between retail spaces and live performance. Links from this episode can be found at: scratchingthesurface.fm/187-willo-perron — We're continuing to publish new content on our Substack. Paid subscribers get bonus interviews every month. Sign up and support the show here: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  85. Mindy Seu (Originally aired 7/25/18) 08.07.2026 43хв

  We're taking the summer off and rebroadcasting some of our favorite episodes in the archives over the next few months. Today we're rebroadcasting our 2018 episode with Mindy Sue, who has a new book, A Sexual History of the Internet, out now.. We'll be back with new episodes in September. — Mindy Seu is a designer, educator, and researcher. When she was on the show, she was student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and was previously a designer at 2x4 and MoMA. She’s designed and produced archival sites for Ralph Ginzburg and Herb Lubalin’s Eros and Avant Garde magazines. In this episode, Mindy and I talk about her early career and why she decided to go to graduate school, the role of research and archives in her work, and how graphic design is just one pillar of her practice. Links from this episode can be found at: https://scratchingthesurface.fm/post/176253243375/85-mindy-seu — We're continuing to publish new content on our Substack. Paid subscribers get bonus interviews every month. Sign up and support the show here: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  243. Nicholas de Monchaux (Originally aired 1/3/24) 23.06.2026 51хв

  We're taking the summer off and rebroadcasting some of our favorite episodes in the archives over the next few months. Today we're rebroadcasting our 2024 episode with Nicholas de Monchaux, who was recently appointed the new dean at UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design. We'll be back with new episodes in September! — Nicholas de Monchaux is an architect, designer, and author. He is currently Professor and Head of Architecture at MIT. He is the author of Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo and Local Code: 3,659 Proposals about Data, Design, and the Nature of Cities. Until 2020, he was Professor of Architecture and Urban Design and Chair in New Media at UC Berkeley. In this conversation, Jarrett and Nicholas talk about reframing our definitions of design, what a contemporary architecture education could look like, and building a multidisciplinary practice. Links from this episode can be found at: https://scratchingthesurface.fm/243-nicholas-de-monchaux — We're continuing to publish new content on our Substack. Paid subscribers get bonus interviews every month. Sign up and support the show here: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  30. Abbott Miller (Originally aired 5/31/17) 10.06.2026 58хв

  We're taking the summer off and rebroadcasting some of our favorite episodes in the archives over the next few months. First up is our 2017 conversation with Pentagram partner Abbott Miller! We'll be back with new episodes in September! — Abbott Miller is a designer, writer, and a partner at Pentagram where he leads a team designing identities, exhibitions, and books. Before Pentagram, Abbott ran a studio, Design Writing Research, with Ellen Lupton and wrote for publications like Eye, Print, and I.D. A monograph of his design and writing, called Design and Content, was published in 2014. In this conversation, Abbott and I talk about where his interest in critical theory came from and how he’s worked to incorporate it into his design work, using writing to find new ways into design, and how his various interests have come together in his current work designing exhibitions at Pentagram. Links from this episode can be found at: https://scratchingthesurface.fm/post/161266191870/30-abbott-miller — We're continuing to publish new content on our Substack. Paid subscribers get bonus interviews every month. Sign up and support the show here: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  290. Giorgia Lupi 27.05.2026 1год

  Giorgia Lupi is an information designer and partner at Pentagram. Her work synthesizes data and storytelling for clients such as Google, IBM, Gates Foundation, and the New York Times. She’s the author of Speak Data with Phillip Cox, and previously published Dear Data, Observer, Collect, Draw, and the picture book This is Me and Only Me. In this conversation, Jarrett and Giorgia talk about the evolution of how we talk about data, blending clarity and communication with artistic expression, and how the COVID-19 pandemic changed how she thought about data and her work. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/290-giorgia-lupi —— Support the show and sign up for our newsletter at surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  289. Marco Ferrari 12.05.2026 1год 4хв

  Marco Ferrari is the co-founder of Studio Folder, an agency for visual design and spatial research based in Milan, and the head of the Information Design program at Design Academy Eindhoven. His work focuses on information design and data visualization, the politics of data collection, and visualizing borders and climate. In this conversation, Jarrett and Marco talk about Studio Folder’s setup that blends client work and original research, how his background in architecture informs his work, and why he’s not that interested in the design profession. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/289-marco-ferrari — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  288. Alan Ricks & Sierra Bainbridge 29.04.2026 1год 1хв

  Alan Ricks and Sierra Bainbridge are founding members of Model of Architecture Serving Society (MASS). Alan, an architect and co-executive director, and Sierra, director of the Landscape Studio and Abundant Futures Lab, are co-authors of the new book, Seeking Abundance: Design, Ecology, and a Flourishing Planet, that looks at MASS’s work across three projects as examples of multidisciplinary collaboration, regenerative practices, and community engagement. In this conversation, Jarrett talks with Alan and Sierra about MASS’s structure as a non-profit, architecture for the more-than-human, and why design should not be about minimizing harm but rather maximizing abundance. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/288-alan-ricks-sierra-bainbrdige — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  287. Jeremy Till & Tatjana Schneider 15.04.2026 57хв

  Jeremy Till and Tatjana Schneider are architects, educators, writers, and researchers. With their research collective Mould, they are co-authors of the new book, Architecture is Climate that re-examines architecture as a practice deeply connected to climate, politics, economics, and social justice. Jeremy was previously the head of Central Saint Martins and Tatjana is head of the Institute for History and Theory of Architecture and the City at the Technical University Braunschweig. In this conversation. Jarrett talks with Jeremy and Tatjana about how the climate crisis changes architecture, the problems with sustainability, and the expanding potentials for architectural thinking. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/287-jeremy-till-tatjana-schneider — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  286. Heidi Korsavong & Benjamin Critton 01.04.2026 1год 11хв

  Heidi Korsavong and Benjamin Critton are the founders of Marta, a Los Angeles-based, globally engaged art gallery. Founded in 2019, Marta makes space for “artists to experiment with the utility of design and for designers to explore the abandonment of function.” In this conversation, Jarrett talks with Heidi and Benjamin about art that lives between disciplines, the curatorial ideas that anchor their exhibitions and how their backgrounds—Heidi in interiors and furniture and Benjamin in graphic and typography—informs the work they do now. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/286-heidi-korsavong-benjamin-critton — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  285. Giovanna Borasi 18.03.2026 1год 1хв

  Giovanna Borasi is an architect, writer, and curator. She’s currently the director of the Canadian Centre for Architecture, where’s she previous held the positions of Chief Curator, Curator of Contemporary Architecture, and Associate Director of Programs. In all these roles, her work often seeks to challenge the conventional definition of the architect. In this conversation, Jarrett and Giovanna talk about the CCA’s mission and history, how her background studying architecture influences her work, and why she’s interested in the confusion that comes with blurring disciplinary boundaries. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/285-giovanna-borasi — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  284. Walter Hood 04.03.2026 1год 1хв

  Walter Hood is a landscape architect, architect, artist, and urbanist. He’s the creative director and founder of Hood Design Studio in Oakland, CA and the former chair of the department of landscape architecture at University of California, Berkeley. He’s the author of Blues & Jazz Landscapes, Urban Diaries, and the co-editor of Black Landscapes Matter. In this conversation, Jarrett and Walter talk about thinking of landscapes as a medium, his interest in subverting typologies, and why he refers to his work as a cultural practice. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/284-walter-hood — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  283. Oliver Munday 18.02.2026 1год 3хв

  Oliver Munday is a graphic designer and writer. His new book, Head of Household, is a collection of short stories that explore the conditions of modern fatherhood. Perhaps best known for his book cover designs, Oliver is currently the executive director of art and design at Doubleday, previously designed covers for Knopf and Farrar, Straus & Giroux, and served as associate art director of The Atlantic. In this wide-ranging conversation, Jarrett and Oliver talk about his move into fiction, why he wrote a book about fatherhood, and the limits of working as a graphic designer. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/2823-oliver-munday — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  282. Sonja Stummerer & Martin Hablesreiter 04.02.2026 1год 2хв

  Sonja Stummerer and Martin Hablesreiter operate under the name Honey & Bunny. Their work moves between art, photography, performance, video, and writing to explore our relationship to food. With backgrounds in architecture, they are the authors of the books Food Design and Eat Design and the directors of the film Food Design: The Film. In this episode, Jarrett talks with Sonja and Martin about the origins of food design, what they learned from Hans Hollein, and why food is the most important design object. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/282-sonja-stummerer-martin-hablesreiter — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  281. Otto von Busch 21.01.2026 59хв

  Otto von Busch is a designer and professor of Integrated Design at Parsons School of Design. He has a background in arts, craft, design, and theory and his work focuses on how making practices can mobilize community and social activism. His new book, The Design Comedy, repackages Dante’s to explore the broken promises of design, the problems in academia, and the role of design theory. In this conversation, Jarrett and Otto talk about the book and its analysis of the state of design, the value of making in design education, and the relationship between design practice and design theory. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/281-otto-von-busch — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  280. Sam Valenti 07.01.2026 54хв

  Sam Valenti IV is the founder of Ghostly International, a music label and art company he founded in 1999 and known for experimental electronic artists like Matthew Dear, Tycho, and Galcher Lustwerk. On the occasion of Ghostly’s 25th anniversary, they just released We’ll Never Stop Living This Way: A Ghostly International Catalogue, a large coffee-table book celebrating the label’s artists, designers, and ethos. In this conversation, Jarrett and Sam talk about the relationship between music and design, the record label as a cultural brand, and the role of the curator in the age of the algorithm. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/280-sam-valenti — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  279. Thomas Weaver 10.12.2025 1год 4хв

  Thomas Weaver is an architectural writer, teacher, critic, and editor. He is a commissioning editor at Park Books where he cofounded and edits the Gumshoe series, and has teaching appoints at Princeton University and Accademia di architettura. He was previously the Senior Acquisitions Editor for Art and Architecture at MIT Press, and managing editor at the Architectural Association where he editied the school’s journal, AA Files, as well as their other publications and books. In this conversation, Jarrett and Thomas talk about the his experiments with form, pushing the limits of academic writing, and the role of the editor in architecture discourse. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/279-thomas-weaver — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  278. Carlo Ratti 26.11.2025 42хв

  Carlo Ratti is an architect, engineer, author, and academic. He is the curator of the 2025 Venice Biennale of Architecture, where he developed the theme Intelligens: Natural, Artificial, Collective. He runs the Senseable City Lab at MIT and is the author of multiple books including Atlas of the Senseable City, The City of Tomorrow, and Open Source Architecture. In this conversation, Jarrett and Carlo reflect on this year’s biennale, how architecture can act as a connector of multiple intelligences, and how the senseable city is different than the smart city. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/278-carlo-ratti — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  277. Maggie Gram 12.11.2025 57хв

  Maggie Gram is a writer, cultural historian, and designer. She’s the author of the new book, The Invention of Design, and her writing as appeared in n+1 and The New York Times. She also leads an experience design team at Google in New York. In this conversation, Jarrett and Maggie talk about how she wrote her book, the evolution of how we talk about design, design’s relationship to power, and why we need new ways to think about what design can do today. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/277-maggie-gram. — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  276. Amale Andraos & Dan Wood 29.10.2025 1год 5хв

  Amale Andraos and Dan Wood are the founders of WORKac, an architecture office working across a range of scales with an emphasis on public, cultural, or civic projects all around the world. Amale is also professor at Columbia GSAPP, where she also served as dean from 2014-2021, and Dan has taught most recently at Columbia and Yale. They’ve also published a series of books including 49 Cities, Above the Pavement, the Farm, We’ll Get There When We Cross That Bridge, and their new monograph, Buildings for People and Plants. In this conversation, Amale and Dan talk with Jarrett about the threads that connect their body of work, the role of publishing in the studio, and why they think of their work as “pop”. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/276-amale-andraos-dan-wood. — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com
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  275. David Godshall & Kasey Toomey 15.10.2025 56хв

  David Godshall and Kasey Toomey are partners at Terremoto, a landscape architecture design studio based in Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Founded by Godshall and Alain Peauroi, Terremoto creates gardens that blend material exploration and conceptual ideas that seek to do right by the land while also acknowledging the laborer, the wildlife, and Indigenous communities on whose land they now live and work. In this conversation, Jarrett talks with David and Kasey about the philosophy of garden design, garden as a verb, their work in labor activism, and why garden design might be a model for the future of design practice. Links from this episode are available at www.scratchingthesurface.fm/275-david-godshall-kasey-toomey. — Help support the show by joining our Substack: surfacepodcast.substack.com