Hybridia

Recap: Season 2 w/ Kirby & Saki (& Kiwi)

Saki and Kirby reflect on how it was to record and release the second season of Hybridia. They discuss becoming more comfortable in their roles as hosts and also how they're continuing to engage with their cultural heritages. Kirby's new dog, Kiwi, makes a special guest appearance. They also mull on ideas for next season, like exploring Hybridia through food culture, or even experimental sound. Credits: Theme music by The Necklace, a project by Taylor Shields and Morgan Võ.

Episode 15: “The Place of Permission” w/ traci kato-kiriyama

Our guest today is traci kato-kiriyama, and we were fortunate enough to speak with such a self-professed hybrid as we close out our second season. tkk is a transdisciplinary artist, recognized for their work as a writer/performer, theatre deviser, cultural producer, and community organizer based in the Los Angeles Area. We came across them when listening to a panel linking Japanese Incarceration to ICE raids today, but their work spans playwriting, performing, and writing. We specifically discuss their show “TALES OF CLAMOR,” which interweaves personal autobiographical moments with the testimonies of Japanese Americans about their incarceration, and their book “Navigating With(out) Instruments,” a true hybrid work comprised of poetry, micro-essays and notes to self. Guest Bio traci kato-kiriyama [https://www.traciakemi.com/] (they+she), author of Navigating With(out) Instruments--based on unceded Tongva land in the south bay of Los Angeles-- is an award-winning multi-, inter- and transdisciplinary artist, recognized for their work as a writer/performer, theatre deviser, cultural producer, and community organizer. As a storyteller and Artivist, tkk is grounded in collaborative process, collective self-determination, and art+community as intrinsically tied and a critical means toward connection and healing. She is a performer & principal writer for PULLproject Ensemble, two-time NET recipient; NEFA 2021-22 finalist for their show TALES OF CLAMOR. Full bio here [https://www.traciakemi.com/about-2#/bio/]. Show Notes tkk’s work: * Tales of Clamor [https://www.traciakemi.com/work#/pull/] – a theater work developed by PULLproject [https://www.pullprojectensemble.com/about], traci’s collaboration with PULLproject aerial artist/actor Kennedy Kabasares * Navigating With(out) Instruments [https://www.traciakemi.com/] – traci’s second book. * traci’s reading [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okJrafroP2Q] at Beyond Baroque [https://www.beyondbaroque.org/] tkk’s activism and other projects: * Nikkei Progressives [https://www.nikkeiprogressives.org/] * Tuesday Night Project [https://www.tuesdaynightproject.org/] Japanese American Incarceration references & resources: * Densho [https://densho.org/] – an organization that documents the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II * “The Alien Enemies Act of 1798: Understanding 1941 and 2025” [https://youtu.be/srIKBsRnm2s?si=XYQGZ2irNLpatw5K] – panel at the USC Ito Center that traci appeared on. * Loyalty Questionnaire [https://densho.org/catalyst/the-loyalty-questionnaire-of-1943-opened-a-wound-that-has-yet-to-heal/] * Tule Lake [https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Tule_Lake/] * National Council for Japanese American Redress [https://encyclopedia.densho.org/National_Council_for_Japanese_American_Redress] * Full transcripts [https://catalog.archives.gov/id/229699513] of testimonies are available at the National Archives * This article [https://densho.org/catalyst/ask-a-historian-where-can-i-find/] contains links to various sources where video footage exists * Japanese American National Museum [https://www.janm.org/] * The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/570029/the-literature-of-japanese-american-incarceration-by-edited-with-an-introduction-by-frank-abe-and-floyd-cheung/], Edited by Frank Abe [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2162304/frank-abe/] and Floyd Cheung [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2162303/floyd-cheung/] * ZAJA [https://www.facebook.com/groups/zaja.nyc/], a New York City-based informal group of Japanese, Japanese Americans and anyone interested in Japanese/JA culture. * “One Fighting Irishman [https://waynecollinsfilm.com/]” by Sharon Yamato, a 30-minute documentary narrated by actor George Takei focusing on the little-known story of civil rights attorney Wayne M. Collins who filed lawsuits on behalf of more than 5,500 detainees who renounced their U.S. citizenship while incarcerated at the embattled Tule Lake Segregation Center, considered the worst of the ten WWII detention centers. Other references: * Beverly Hills 902010 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills,_90210] (90’s TV show) * “Why We Can’t Wait” [https://reparationscomm.org/we-cant-wait-hr-40-now/] campaign for African-American reparations * “Model minority” was coined by sociologist William Petersen in his article, “Success Story, Japanese American Style [http://www.elegantbrain.com/edu4/classes/readings/depository/A_A_S_reads/petersen_modelminority.pdf],” in New York Times Magazine (1966). Summary here [https://encyclopedia.densho.org/Success%20Story,%20Japanese%20American%20Style%20(article)/]. * Asian American Arts Alliance [https://www.aaartsalliance.org/], a New York City-based organization supporting Asian American artists and cultural organizations Credits * Edited by Amanda Dee [https://amandadee.net/] and mastered by Cedric Wilson [https://www.cedricwilsonmedia.com/]. * Theme music by The Necklace, a project by Taylor Shields and Morgan Võ. Sound Credits * Bells Windchime.wav by Benboncan -- https://freesound.org/s/56929/ [https://freesound.org/s/56929/] -- License: Attribution 4.0 * New York Jazz Loop by FoolBoyMedia -- https://freesound.org/s/347848/ [https://freesound.org/s/347848/] -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 * Rhodes 4.wav by HenKonen -- https://freesound.org/s/682259/ [https://freesound.org/s/682259/] -- License: Creative Commons 0 * Harp Arpeggio - fairy tunes.wav by gertraut_hecher -- https://freesound.org/s/559838/ [https://freesound.org/s/559838/] -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

Episode 14: “The Flying Boat” w/ Prima Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai

Our guest today is Prima Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai. They were born in Thailand and are now based in St Paul, MN, but they’re a true citizen of the world, having lived and studied in many places in between. We discuss their path to performance art, from their upbringing in England to their study at the Sorbonne in Paris, and their eventual move to the U.S., landing first in Chicago, but really coming into their own in Tucson, AZ, after a year of living expansively in the desert. After a career in more traditional forms of art like sculpture, Prima now works in multimedia and performance, and we discuss some of their more recent works, especially their performative lecture Chloropsis Aurifrons Pridii and their sound piece 174 / Neung Jed Si – A Short History of Thailand. Both works mix the historical with the personal and we discuss documentary, embodied history, and what really is the definition of a place one calls “home.” Guest Bio: Born in 1989, Bangkok, Thailand. Currently lives and works in St Paul, MN. Prima earned a Visual Arts Degree (Diplome National des Arts Plastiques) from the Ecole des Beaux Arts de Nantes Metropole, a License in Film Studies (Licence en Cinema et Audiovisuelle) at the Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3. They completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, in 2013 and obtained a Master of Fine Arts at the California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA in 2017. Show Notes Note: The audio excerpt included in this episode included part of the composition Seine / San Saep / Voice of Water (2025) by Louis Fontenot [https://www.louisfontenot.com/]. Vocalists: Ilse Griffin, Michael Llyod and Molly O’Connor Prima’s work mentioned in the show: * The Invisible Archive: Prima Jalichandra-Sakuntabhai by Lara Salmon [https://www.invisiblearchive.com/prima-j-s] * Chloropsis Aurifrons Pridi [https://www.primasakuntabhai.com/chloropsis-aurifrons-pridii.html] * 174 / Neung Jed Si – A Short History of Thailand [https://www.reisigandtaylorcontemporary.com/exhibitions/174] People: * Pridi Banomyong [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pridi_Banomyong] – Thai revolutionary and former Prime Minister, Prima’s great-grand uncle * Chris Marker [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Marker] – filmmaker * François Niney [https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Niney] – philosopher, film critic, documentarian  Media: * Sibylline Screen [https://www.instagram.com/sibyllenescreen] – Kirby’s curatorial cave project * Route One/USA [https://icarusfilms.com/if-route] – a film Prima mentions as inspiration to move to the US * Rings of Saturn [https://www.ndbooks.com/book/the-rings-of-saturn/] by W.G. Sebald  * Khruangbin [https://www.khruangbin.com/] – band from Texas Saki mentions * Lucky Luke [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Luke] & Woody [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_(Toy_Story)] – two cartoon cowboys Prima mentions * Brokeback Mountain [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brokeback_Mountain] * Pridi by Pridi [https://uwapress.uw.edu/book/9789747551358/pridi-by-pridi/] – A collection of Pridi’s writing * The Sea of Fertility [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sea_of_Fertility] tetralogy by Yukio Mishima * Rocky & Hudson: The Gay Cowboys [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_%26_Hudson] Credits: * Edited by Amanda Dee [https://amandadee.net/] and mastered by Cedric Wilson [https://www.cedricwilsonmedia.com/]. * Theme music by The Necklace, a project by Taylor Shields and Morgan Võ. Sound Credits: * River boat with outboard engine (at changing speeds) by nomadas – https://freesound.org/people/nomadas/sounds/690160/ [https://freesound.org/people/nomadas/sounds/690160/] – License: Creative Commons 0 * Flock of seagulls.wav by juskiddink – https://freesound.org/people/juskiddink/sounds/98479/ [https://freesound.org/people/juskiddink/sounds/98479/] – License: Attribution 4.0 * S29-19 Bell buoy.wav by craigsmith – https://freesound.org/people/craigsmith/sounds/675693/ [https://freesound.org/people/craigsmith/sounds/675693/] – License: Creative Commons 0 * Amb/Sfx_Ext_Day_People Argue & Talking_Boat Engine_Sea_Portuguese_Kapossoca Pier_Luanda to Mussulo Island_Angola (11.08.2024) by SolySombraRecordings – https://freesound.org/people/SolySombraRecordings/sounds/756767/ [https://freesound.org/people/SolySombraRecordings/sounds/756767/] – License: Creative Commons 0 * JRPG Guitar Desert loop by Destructo20 – https://freesound.org/people/Destructo20/sounds/659223/ [https://freesound.org/people/Destructo20/sounds/659223/] – License: Creative Commons 0 * sound-alien7.wav by zippi1 – https://freesound.org/people/zippi1/sounds/18870/ [https://freesound.org/people/zippi1/sounds/18870/] – License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 * D302 Boat Engine Cuts.wav by billcutbill – https://freesound.org/people/billcutbill/sounds/669393/ [https://freesound.org/people/billcutbill/sounds/669393/] – License: Attribution 4.0 * Desert Night Air With Bird Call by kangaroovindaloo – https://freesound.org/people/kangaroovindaloo/sounds/147264/ [https://freesound.org/people/kangaroovindaloo/sounds/147264/] – License: Attribution 4.0

Episode 13: “Where the Mountain Flows into the Sea” w/ paparouna

Our guest today is paparouna. They are a queer non-binary disabled storyweaver, worldbuilder, writer, translator, and educator, born and raised in Athens, Greece and currently living in Colorado, USA. They are a soon-to-be graduate of Antioch University’s MFA in Creative Writing, with a dual concentration in translation and fiction. They’re the current lead editor of translation for antioch’s journal, lunch ticket, and their own writing and translations have been published in a variety of journals, including Asymptote, Denver Quarterly, and World Literature Today. In this episode we discuss paparouna’s later-in-life foray into literary translation, their concentration on queer Greek literature and what it means to translate queerly, the fluidity of language, the origin of their chosen name, and the ecotone as a metaphor for how hybrids exist as not one or the other, but as endemic entities. Guest Bio: Born and raised in Athens, Greece, ⁠paparouna⁠ [https://paparouna.art/] [pavlos stavropoulos] currently resides in occupied Arapahoe and Cheyenne territory in so-called Colorado, USA. They are a social and environmental justice educator, work in website management, write queer speculative prose, translate mostly queer Greek literature into English, and daydream about life as a marine mammal. An MFA Candidate in Translation and Fiction at Antioch—Los Angeles, paparouna was accepted into the 2018 Princeton Hellenic Translation Workshop, the 2018-2020 Lighthouse Book Project, the 2025 Bread Loaf Translators Conference, and the 2025 British Center for Literary Translation Summer School. They have been a guest fiction editor for beestung, were the web editor for The Thought Erotic, and are the Lead Translation Editor for Lunch Ticket. Their writing has been published in Progenitor, Asymptote, Exchanges, New Poetry in Translation (now World Poetry Review), Denver Quarterly, Timber, The Thought Erotic, Lunch Ticket, World Literature Today, and Κουίρ 2024: Βίωμα, τέχνη, θεωρία [Queer 2024: Lived experience, art, theory]. Show notes: Work by paparouna: * We reference their essay ⁠“The Queer Beauty of Unfaithful Translations”⁠ [https://worldliteraturetoday.org/blog/essay/queer-beauty-unfaithful-translations-paparouna] * Their work is also included in ⁠Κουίρ 2024: Βίωμα, τέχνη, θεωρία⁠ [https://www.politeianet.gr/el/products/9786185850036-sullogiko-pshfides-kouir-2024-bioma-texnh-theoria] (Queer 2024: Lived experience, art, theory) Translation work by paparouna: * paparouna is the Translation Editor at ⁠Lunch Ticket⁠ [https://lunchticket.org], Antioch University’s literary magazine * The Whale, by ⁠Ursula Foskolou⁠ [https://books.ursula.gr/metafraseis], whose website includes some excerpts * paparouna has also translated ⁠Giota Tempridou⁠ [https://bookpress.gr/politismos/teleutaia-nea/23208-vios-kai-politeia-i-syggrafissa-giota-tempridou-erxetai-sto-ypogeio]’s work Other references: * ⁠Lawrence Venuti⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Venuti] * ⁠Judith Butler⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Butler] * ⁠Antonio de Nebrija ⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_de_Nebrija] * ⁠Pippi Longstocking⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pippi_Longstocking] * ⁠Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldúa⁠ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderlands/La_Frontera:_The_New_Mestiza] Credits: * Edited by⁠ Amanda Dee⁠ [https://amandadee.net/] and mastered by ⁠Cedric Wilson⁠ [https://www.cedricwilsonmedia.com/]. * Theme music by The Necklace, a project by Taylor Shields and Morgan Võ. Sound Credits: * Hiking03_Mt Lemmon AZ_Day_Slight Wind_Trekking Poles_Birds_051020 by Triad330670 – ⁠https://freesound.org/people/Triad330670/sounds/736942/⁠ [https://freesound.org/people/Triad330670/sounds/736942/] – License: Attribution 4.0 * Nature sounds, bells, goats, cow, birds - Kardzhali, Bulgaria by vonfleisch – ⁠https://freesound.org/people/vonfleisch/sounds/272458/⁠ [https://freesound.org/people/vonfleisch/sounds/272458/] – License: Creative Commons 0 * coldwater_stream_01.wav by tim.kahn – ⁠https://freesound.org/people/tim.kahn/sounds/92818/⁠ [https://freesound.org/people/tim.kahn/sounds/92818/] – License: Attribution 4.0 * Ocean Crete .wav by norwayjohn – ⁠https://freesound.org/people/norwayjohn/sounds/404684/⁠ [https://freesound.org/people/norwayjohn/sounds/404684/] – License: Creative Commons 0 * Leaves Rustling by JandreLombaard – ⁠https://freesound.org/people/JandreLombaard/sounds/707877/⁠ [https://freesound.org/people/JandreLombaard/sounds/707877/] – License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 * Eating a cracker (Mouth closed) by Rudmer_Rotteveel – ⁠https://freesound.org/people/Rudmer_Rotteveel/sounds/364924/⁠ [https://freesound.org/people/Rudmer_Rotteveel/sounds/364924/] – License: Creative Commons 0 * WATRSplsh_Water Splash, Big, Dive Into Water, Person or Animal_Nicholas Judy_TDC by designerschoice – ⁠https://freesound.org/people/designerschoice/sounds/811439/⁠ [https://freesound.org/people/designerschoice/sounds/811439/] – License: Creative Commons 0 * humpback whale song by MBARI_MARS – ⁠https://freesound.org/people/MBARI_MARS/sounds/448984/⁠ [https://freesound.org/people/MBARI_MARS/sounds/448984/] – License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

Episode 12: “The Floating Island” w/ Tiffany Smith

Our guest today is Tiffany Smith. Tiffany is an interdisciplinary artist from the Caribbean diaspora working in photography, video, installation, and assemblage. In this episode we talk about Tiffany’s upbringing in the Bahamas and Miami, her long and winding journey to photography, how to advocate for yourself, how to escape the hustle and find a place that is right for you, and the complex dynamics of Black Caribbean identity in the U.S. Guest Bio: Tiffany Smith [https://www.tiffanysmithphoto.com/] (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist from the Caribbean diaspora working in photography, video, installation, assemblage, and design to define spaces and experiences that examine the roles of visitor and native and parse the definition of home. Using plant matter, design elements, pattern, and costume as cultural signifiers, Smith creates environments that are informed by the histories of representation, diasporic identity, and liminality.  Smith’s work examines individual narratives pulled from an array of multi-cultural influences and derived from her upbringing in Miami, Nassau, and Jamaica. Searching for new perspectives on dominant historical narratives, she studies how communities of people of color are formed and defined; in particular, how they are identified and represented, and how they persist.  Smith earned her B.F.A. in Photography from Savannah College of Art and Design and her M.FA. in Photo/Video from School of Visual Arts. Her work lives in various private and public collections, and has been exhibited internationally, including solo exhibitions at The Bronx Museum of Arts, NY; The Wassaic Project, NY; Recess Assembly, Brooklyn, NY; and Montserrat College of Art, Beverly, MA. She has also exhibited at the New Orleans Museum of Art, the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas, MassArt, and the National Gallery of Jamaica. Smith is a former NYSCA/NYFA Interdisciplinary Artist Fellow, a Bronx A.I.M. Fellow, an EnFoco Photography Fellowship Awardee, a Cameron Visiting Artist at Middlebury College, and a resident artist at TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image in Philadelphia. She currently resides in New Orleans, LA. Show Notes: Tiffany’s Work: * Earthseed solo exhibition at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY * For Tropical Girls… [https://www.tiffanysmithphoto.com/tropicalgirls] exhibition at The Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY * Album photos [https://www.instagram.com/p/DAWz-F-MtJI/?img_index=1] for collaboration with Lollise [https://www.instagram.com/lollise/] * A Woman, Phenomenally [https://www.tiffanysmithphoto.com/awomanphenomenally] Other References: * Paradice Palase [https://www.paradicepalase.com/] artist network * Julia Tuttle [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Tuttle], the “Mother of Miami” * Moonlight [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlight_(2016_film)] film (2016) * Tiffany’s professor Keren Moscovich [https://www.instagram.com/kerenmoscovitch/?hl=en] * Underground System [https://www.undergroundsystembk.com/] band * Lollise’s “Iron Woman [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojyC6bRao5I]” music video * Mickalene Thomas’ photos [https://www.wmagazine.com/fashion/cardi-b-mickalene-thomas-w-magazine-cover] of Cardi B Credits: * Cover photo of Tiffany by Fela Raymond [https://www.instagram.com/felaraymond]. * Edited by Amanda Dee [https://amandadee.net/] and mastered by Cedric Wilson. * Theme music by The Necklace, a project by Taylor Shields and Morgan Võ. Sound Credits: * Medium-heavy spaceship fly-by by Anoesj – https://freesound.org/people/Anoesj/sounds/345794/ [https://freesound.org/people/Anoesj/sounds/345794/] – License: Attribution 4.0 * Jorge R Alien Hover by jorgereq – https://freesound.org/people/jorgereq/sounds/592722/ [https://freesound.org/people/jorgereq/sounds/592722/] – License: Creative Commons 0 * Dreamy Ambient Atmosphere for Relaxation by Matio888 – https://freesound.org/people/Matio888/sounds/797771/ [https://freesound.org/people/Matio888/sounds/797771/] – License: Attribution 4.0 * peep2.WAV by phantastonia – https://freesound.org/people/phantastonia/sounds/337439/ [https://freesound.org/people/phantastonia/sounds/337439/] – License: Creative Commons 0 * Dreamy bells.wav by danyourmaster – https://freesound.org/people/danyourmaster/sounds/433654/ [https://freesound.org/people/danyourmaster/sounds/433654/] – License: Creative Commons 0