The Royal College of Art Podcast

00:00:00 Introduction: Can creativity transform the future of healthcare?
00:01:35 From "nice-to-have" to vital: Defining creative health today
00:06:12 Making the invisible visible: Immersive tech and body image
00:11:45 Reclaiming the narrative: Finding the beauty in illness
00:17:30 Positive distraction: VR as a tool for empathy and healing
00:22:15 The systemic challenge: Funding, social prescribing, and sustainability
00:27:50 Addressing compassion fatigue: Supporting our healthcare staff
00:32:10 The second journey: Navigating the transition back to community
00:37:45 Speculative visions: The hospital of the future as a community hub
00:43:20 The power of play: Why healthcare needs more curiosity

The role of art and creativity in wellbeing is no longer a fringe idea. We explore how creative health helps patients process their experiences, reclaim their personal narratives, and reimagines the future of care.

In this episode of the RCA Podcast, RCA President and Vice-Chancellor Christoph Lindner is joined by two practitioners who have dedicated their practice to the impact of creative expression on wellbeing:
Camille Baker, Professor of Interactive and Immersive Art in the School of Communication, whose immersive VR projects like Mammary Mountain and Into/Her explore the hidden, internal experiences of disease, trauma, and body image.
Lottie Barnes, Creative Health Professional, former Churchill Fellow, and the artist behind Finding the Beauty in Illness, a photography project documenting her personal journey through cancer treatment.
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⁠Learn more about the ⁠RCA's programmes.⁠
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00:00:00 Introduction: Will AI Nurture or Erode Our Relationship with Nature?
00:00:50 Will AI Nurture or Erode Our Relationship with Nature?
00:05:59 The Non-Human Lens: Is Our Humanness the Block to AI & Nature?
00:09:39 Data as an Art Material: A Taxonomy for Artists and Creatives
00:14:37 Project: Models of Care – Low-Resource AI & the Melting Glacier
00:17:58 Project: RAT Systems – Data Privacy and Naked Mole Rats
00:22:37 Will AI End Human Creativity? The Flourishing of a Creative Age
00:26:16 AI Ethics: What is the Social Contract with Other Intelligences?
00:35:35 The Great Contradiction: AI's Carbon Footprint vs. Saving the Planet
00:42:53 The Cost of a Search: Should We Have an AI Carbon Calculator?

Artificial intelligence is impacting every aspect of our lives, but what does its exponential rise mean for the natural world?
In this episode of the RCA Podcast, RCA President and Vice-Chancellor Christoph Lindner is joined by two leading voices working at the intersection of art and design, living systems and future technology.
Guests
Dr Danielle Barrios O’Neill: Danielle is Associate Dean (Academic Planning & Development), Schools of Communication and Design. Her research explores complex living systems, technology, and the use of advanced play and speculative design to help humans engage with and reshape ‘wicked problems’, like climate change.
Dr Julie Freeman: Julie is Founder of art and design studios Translating Nature and ShapedSound. Her work has seen her turn raw data from living systems, like fish or mole rats, into physical and sonic artworks. Julie's most recent work, Models of Care, uses data from Arctic glaciers to explore environmental responsibility and the relationship between artificial intelligence, climate change, and human agency.
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Learn more about the ⁠RCA's programmes.
Learn more about ⁠applying and studying at the RCA⁠.
Discover more from the ⁠RCA podcast.

In this episode of the RCA Podcast, RCA President Christoph Lindner speaks with artist and educator Sarah Staton and architect Liza Fior about the power of public art and architecture in shaping belonging, community, and inclusion.
They explore its power to invite connection, the challenges of gentrification, and the ways art can redefine the spaces we share.
Guests:
Sarah Staton: Sculptor, educator, and Senior Tutor of the RCA’s MA Sculpture programme, whose permanent commissions explore how public works can foster connection across generations.

Liza Fior: Founding partner of Muf architecture/art and Professor of Architecture and Spatial Practice at Central Saint Martins, known for award-winning projects that put community at the centre of urban design.

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Learn more about the RCA's programmes.
Lear more about applying and studying at the RCA.
Discover more from the RCA podcast.

In 2024, representatives from the Royal College of Art (RCA) joined the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) on an expedition from Greenland to Iceland onboard Royal Research Ship James Cook, but what exactly was an art school doing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean? 

In this collaborative episode, Into the Blue Podcast and the Royal College of Art Podcast join together to explore the critical role of collaboration in tackling the challenges facing our oceans.

Professor Ashley Hall, Professor of Design and Innovation in the School of Design and Lead Researcher on NEMO (New Economic Model for the Ocean) at the RCA, is joined by Marine Biogeochemist and Biological Oceanographer Dr Filipa Carvalho.

The pair discuss the unique partnership, how their projects are helping us to better understand climate tipping points, and the role of co-design processes that connect life on land with ocean systems to incorporate local knowledge and perspectives.

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Find out more about NOC's time in Greenland and Iceland.

Learn more the partnership between the RCA and NOC

Learn more about NEMO (New Economic Models for the Ocean) at the RCA

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What does a genuinely ‘decentered’ space look like in creative education and the fashion industry?
Ahead of the upcoming FACE (Fashion Academics Creating Equity) Summit at the Royal College of Art on November 7-8, 2024, we explore the deep, systemic work necessary to create fairer, more inclusive spaces within the arts and education.
FACE is a pioneering collective founded to confront inequities in creative education, championing the intersection of fashion, art, and academia as a force for meaningful change.
This episode’s host is Joyce Addai Davis—an RCA Fashion MA graduate, footwear designer, and the first Black female academic in RCA’s Fashion Department. Joyce shares insights from her journey in academia, where her work bridges sustainable fashion practices with critical questions about waste and equity.
Joining her is Andrew Ibi, a co-founder of FACE, creative director and fashion curator, who recently curated “The Missing Thread” exhibition at Somerset House. With his extensive experience as a course leader at Liverpool John Moores University and as an external examiner at RCA, Andrew brings invaluable insight into what it takes to create decentered, inclusive, and anti-racist spaces.
In this episode, Joyce and Andrew discuss:
What it means to “decenter” a space in education and industry
FACE’s upcoming summit at the RCA
Joyce's experience studying Fashion at the RCA, under the leadership of Zowie Broach
Practical steps institutions can take today toward a fairer, more open future for all
Whether you’re in academia, fashion, or an ally for change, listen to discover the vision and actions needed to reshape the future of creative education and the fashion industry.
Register your free place at the ⁠FACE Summit⁠
Learn more about ⁠FACE⁠
Read the FACE RACE Handbook for Educators
Learn more about the ⁠RCA⁠
Explore ⁠news and events⁠ from the RCA
Discover the work of ⁠Joyce Addai Davis⁠
Follow along on social media: #FACExRCA2024