Ecologies in Practice

16. Atmosphere: Lisa Hirmer

[https://ecologiesinpractice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/atmosphere-1024x1024.jpg] Summary: In this final episode of season 1, Ashar speaks with interdisciplinary artist Lisa Hirmer. They discuss her contributions to the edited collection Ecologies in Practice, and Lisa also elaborates on her exploration of the atmosphere as a central theme in her work, with related projects such as We Are Atmosphere.  Bio:  Lisa Hirmer is an interdisciplinary artist whose work explores the collective nature of being, particularly in human relationships with the more-than-human world. Much of her recent work wrestles with what it means to be living within the reality of climate change and how to make sense of this planet-scaled emergency. She has shown her work across Canada and internationally including at Art Gallery of Ontario, Art Gallery of Guelph, University of Lethbridge Art Gallery, Art Gallery of Mississauga, Tom Thomson Gallery, Art Windsor-Essex, Doris McCarthy Gallery, Peninsula Arts, CAFKA, Queens Museum, and Flux Factory, among others. She has done artist residencies with Arts House Melbourne, the Santa Fe Art Institute, the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World, KIAC and Camargo Foundation, and was the 2022 Waterfront Toronto Artist in Residence. She has received grants from Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, musagetes and the Culture and Animal Foundation, and has a Master of Architecture from the University of Waterloo. Transcript PDF [https://ecologiesinpractice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Lisa-Hirmer-FINISHED-Transcript.pdf] Links:  Instagram: @lisa.hirmer  Website: www.lisahirmer.ca [http://www.lisahirmer.ca]

15. Atmosphere: Kiyoko Gotanda

[https://ecologiesinpractice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/atmosphere-1-1024x1024.jpg] Summary:  In this episode, host Ashar interviews Dr. Kiyoko Gotanda, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Brock University, whose research focuses on the intersection of ecology, evolution, and behavior. Kiyoko shares her unique journey; from a ballet dancer to a researcher, emphasizing the importance of creativity in scientific inquiry. The conversation explores contemporary evolution, including the  impact of human activities and colonialism on species adaptation, and more. Kiyoko Gotanda Bio:  I am a former professional ballet dancer who is now a researcher in the fields of evolution, behaviour, and ecology. After dancing with ballet companies such as the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago [http://www.joffrey.com/] and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal [http://www.grandsballets.com/en/], I hung up my pointe shoes and went to McGill University [http://www.mcgill.ca/] for my BSc. I received my PhD from McGill University, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge and Université de Sherbrooke. I am currently an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences [https://brocku.ca/mathematics-science/biology/] at Brock University [https://brocku.ca/]. My third passion after science and dance is photography [http://pidgephotography.com/], which bridges the gap between my interests in art and science. Transcript PDF [https://ecologiesinpractice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Kiyoko-Gotanda-FINISHED-Transcript.pdf] Links: https://www.kiyokogotanda.com [https://www.kiyokogotanda.com] https://www.pidgephotography.com [https://www.pidgephotography.com]

14. Atmosphere: Christina Battle

[https://ecologiesinpractice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/atmosphere-1024x1024.jpg] Summary: In this final series of the first season of the Ecologies in Practice Podcast, we are exploring the Atmosphere- the invisible world all around us. In the first episode on atmosphere, Ashar speaks with artist Christina Battle, who discusses her work and focus on the climate crisis, the intersection of art and science, and more. Bio: Christina Battle [http://cbattle.com/] is an artist based in amiskwacîwâskahikan, (also known as Edmonton, Alberta), within the Aspen Parkland: the transition zone where prairie and forest meet. Her practice focuses on thinking deeply about the concept of disaster: its complexity, and the intricacies that are entwined within it. Transcript PDF [https://ecologiesinpractice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Christina-Battle-FINISHED-Transcript.pdf] Links:   insta @c_l_battle bluesky: @cbattle.bsky.social‬ Sites: > Home [https://cbattle.com/] > seeds are meant to disperse [https://seedsaremeanttodisperse.ca/]

13. Earth: Genevieve Robertson

[https://ecologiesinpractice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/logoearth-3.jpg] Summary: In this final episode of our series on the topic ‘Earth’, Ashar speaks with artist Genevieve Robertson, about materiality, walking, and interdisciplinary collaboration in understanding and addressing environmental issues. The conversation delves into her specific projects, including Slope and Rainbow Jordan, highlighting the significance of slowness, and the role of artists in environmental advocacy. Bio: Genevieve Robertson is a visual artist with an enduring interest in environmental studies. Her practice is grounded in drawing/painting, and extends to video, installation, and various forms of collaboration. Through the study and use of gathered materials (charcoal, paper, water, silt, ash, bitumen, plant and fungi dye, graphite etc.), her work explores anthropogenic impacts on ecology and the climate, and the intelligence and interconnection of the life systems of which we are part. Robertson holds a BFA from NSCAD University, an MFA from Emily Carr University, and has been supported through exhibitions, conferences and residencies internationally, and awards and grants nationally. Her work is featured in Outdoor School (Douglas and McIntyre), Art and Climate Change (Thames and Hudson), and Ecologies in Practice: Environmentally Engaged Arts in Canada (Wilfrid-Laurier University Press). She is of mixed European settler ancestry and currently lives and works in the West Kootenays on the unceded territory of the sn̓ʕay̓ckstx Sinixt Confederacy Arrow Lakes and Yaqan Nukiy Lower Kootenay Band peoples. PDF Transcript [https://ecologiesinpractice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Genevieve-Robertson-FINISHED-Transcript.pdf] Links: IG: @genevieve__robertson www.genevieverobertson.com [http://www.genevieverobertson.com]

12. Earth: Renee Lemoyne

[https://ecologiesinpractice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/logoearth.jpg] Summary: Renee Lemoyne is a graduate from the Indigenous Relations Program at Western, and joins Ashar on the podcast to share her research on the benefits of learning the Anishinaabemowin language in an immersive course. The conversation explores Renee’s observations on the positive impacts of a land-based language course on participants’ health, and in relation to Indigenous language revitalization efforts. Renee’s Bio: Kwey Kwey, Bimijiwan ndow, je suis Renée Lemoyne, Migizy ndodem, Kebaowek ndonjibaa. I’m a first-year medical student at NOSM University in Thunder Bay, ON. I have a master’s in Indigenous Relations and a BSc. in Biomedical Biology, with a minor in Indigenous Studies. I’m a Francophone Algonquin Kwe from Kebaowek First Nation in Kipawa QC. I have been part of the Anishinaabemowin learning community in N’Swakamok for years. Through my time I was a witness to beautiful things which led me to pursue my master’s and conduct research to show others the benefits of learning this language in a wholistic and immersive way!  Transcript PDF [https://ecologiesinpractice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Renee-Lemoyne-FINISHED-Transcript.pdf] Links: https://www.timminspress.com/news/local-news/indigenous-land-based-course-offers-life-changing-experience [https://www.timminspress.com/news/local-news/indigenous-land-based-course-offers-life-changing-experience] IG: @lemoyne28