BRAINLAND

David Escobebo has been involved in improv theatre for over 25 years, beginning in California and more recently in Chester, UK where he has recenty compelted his PhD thesis on the subject. We talk about the social and educational roots of improv is 1930s Chicago and it's evolution into performance/theatre leading to 'Second City, contrasted with the UK where it was a 'revolutionary act against theatre'. We talk about some of the leaders in the field and their views before David talk about how he arrived at his own 'six principles of improv' (and you heard them here first). We talk about the application of improv training, and particularly active listening, to other groups (healthcare, tech companies, etc.) and include a brief example of a warm up as an afterword to the podcast. Great chat.Participants:David Escobebo Improv performer and educator www.ImprovBoost.com LinkTreeKen Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Opening and closing music: 'Improv' a blues improvised and played by Stephen AsmaBrainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcastPortrait sketch by KB illustration

In this podcast, Joanna talks about working with and studying the patient support group 'Clusterbusters' for over a decade and their willingness to become 'outlaws' to obtain or grow illegal psilocybin to treat severe 'cluster' headaches too often after appalling treatment by the medical profession. We discuss the sociology and politics of psychedelics, and medical research generally, reflecting on the many forces that act on researchers in supposedly objective science. We also talk about the members of the current US administration who have spoken openly and positively about their use of psychedlics and contrast this with the way drug users from other ethnicities are treated by the criminal justice system. Fascinating conversation and book.Participants:Joanna Kempner, Associate Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. www.joannakempner.comKen Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Joanna's book, 'Psychedelic Outlaws': https://www.joannakempner.com/psychedelic-outlawsCluster headache:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cluster-headaches/Clusterbusters:https://clusterbusters.org/Chemical structure of psychedelics (the 'indole ring'): https://psychedelics.cornell.edu/Opening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcastPortrait sketch by KB illustration

In the special extended 50th episode of the podcast we bring together four of the leading figures in Neuropsychiatry over the last 40 years for a wide ranging discussion that considers the varying definitions of neuropsychiatry, behavioural neurology and neuropsychology and who needs them. We discuss trailblazers in the field over the last century or so, including Solomon Carter Fuller, an African American neuropathologist and neurologist who spent a year working with Alzheimer. Adolph Meyer, Charcot and Freud (a surprise and controversial appearance) also got a look inbefore a discussion of the pivotal role played by Alwyn Lishman and  his book 1978 book ‘Organic Psychiatry’ in advancing the subject. We hear about the success of joint Neuropsychiatry/Behavioural Neurology fellowship training in the US and the increasing amount of functional neurological disorders coming to the speciality in the UK, concluding with a look to the future. Terrific conversation.Participants:Eileen Joyce, Professor Emeritus of Neuropsychiatry, University College, London.Sheldon Benjamin, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurology, UMass Chan Medical SchoolJonathan Bird, Retired Consultant Neuropsychiatrist, Bristol.Stephen Brown, Composer, Cellist, Retired Professor of Neuropsychiatry, Cornwall .http://cornwallcomposers.com/stephen.htmNeuropsychiatry defined (UK): https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/become-a-psychiatrist/choose-psychiatry/what-is-psychiatry/types-of-psychiatrist/neuropsychiatrySolomon Carter Fuller https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Carter_FullerAlwyn Lishmanhttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00997-1/fulltextNorman Geschwindhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_GeschwindProduced and scripted by Ken Barrett.Opening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcastSketch by KB illustration.

In this wide ranging conversation we talk about current views on the subject of 'aesthetics', as covering judgements well outside of the arts (choosing a partner, home etc..) and why studying brain and other physiological responses to individually meaningful poems can be a valuable research tool. We talk about the importance of piloerection responses (goosebumps-shivers) across a wide range of species and the tool Eugen and his colleagues have developed and used to measure this, alongside a range of more traditional measures, some of the studies undertaken, and their results.Participants:Eugen Wassiliwizky, Post-doctoral Researcher, Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main,Germany. https://www.aesthetics.mpg.de/institut/mitarbeiterinnen/eugen-wassiliwizky.htmlKen Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Some of Eugen and his colleague's papers:Wassiliwizky, E., & Menninghaus, W. (2021). Why and How Should Cognitive Science Care about Aesthetics? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 25(6), 437–449.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136466132100067X?via%3DihubWassiliwizky, E., Koelsch, S., Wagner, V., Jacobsen, T., & Menninghaus, W. (2017). The emotional power of poetry: Neural circuitry, psychophysiology and compositional principles. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 12(8), 1229–1240.https://academic.oup.com/scan/article/12/8/1229/3778354Wassiliwizky, E., Jacobsen, T., Heinrich, J., Schneiderbauer, M., & Menninghaus, W. (2017). Tears falling on goosebumps: Co-occurrence of emotional lacrimation and emotional piloerection indicates a psychophysiological climax in emotional arousal. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 41.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00041/fullOpening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcastSketch by KB

If you want to get a clear view of a subject ask a philiosopher who has thought deeply about it. In this podcast, philosopher Owen Flanangan speaks frankly about his experience of addiction to alcohol and tranquillisers, 18 years on, and why he felt compelled to write about his experience and analysis of the problem. We talk about substance use and creativity, identity, social cohesive, marker of major life events and as a way to make life more interesting or tolerable. We talk about AA and NA and why, during his first period of recovery he avoided them, but also why they have been so useful to him subseqeuntly. Finally, Owen discusses why a broad 'ecumenical' approach to management of addiction offers the best chance of recovery (rather than a narrow psychological, social or neurological model). Participants:Owen Flanagan Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Neurobiology, Duke University, North Carolina, https://www.neuro.duke.edu/profile/owen-flanaganKen Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Owen's book WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE AN ADDICT?: https://academic.oup.com/book/59281?login=falseOpening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcast

Tricia is a dancer, teacher and the author of two historical novels based around dance and dancers. In this podcast she talks about the experience of dancing solo and in a group and her writing. Her most recent book, and a related performance piece, is a memoir/journal of the final days of her parent that also tracks her regular attendance at a circus school alongside memories of her childhood and youth. We discuss her route into dance and the seminal influence of time spent learning contemporary in Amsterdam in the 1970s. She tell us about 'The Green Table', a dance created by Kurt Jooss in Germany that satirised powerful elites, and the inspiration behind her first novel. She incorporates extracts from her most recent book 'Upside down in a hoop' with newly acquired circus hoop skills in a performance peice that deals with the loss of her parents to dementia, and her surprise at the very warm response it has provoked. Tricia concludes by telling us about her next writing project. Participants:Tricia Durdey, contemporary dancer, teacher, writer Tricia's websiteKen Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Tricia's books:Upside down in a hoop:The Green Table:The dancer at the world's end:Extracts prom Tricia's performance piece and more conversationOpening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcast

Following on from the last episode, today we consider how neuroscientists investigate the brain in relation to dance. Peter talks about his background as a classical musician before branching into the psychology and then neuroscience of dance. He explains the complexity of the subject - the many variables at play during dance and between dancers - and what progress has been made to understand the neural basis of dance. We talk about therapeutic uses of dance and studies of social cohesion promoted by dance. We wander into evolution and species differences and end by talking about his hopes for the future of the subject.Participants:Peter Keller, Professor of Neuroscience, Centre for Music and the Brain, University of Aarhus, Denmark. https://www.au.dk/p.keller@clin.au.dk/Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Links to papers from Peter's department:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763424002859?via%3Dihubhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763423001665?via%3Dihubhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763423004918?via%3DihubOpening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcast

Adrian Look, London-based choreographer and specialist in German 'Tanztheatre', talks about the origin of Tanztheatre within the 1920s Germany expressionist movement, tand aken to the next level by Pina Bausch in the modern era. Adrian talks about his unusual entry into dance, after a background of sport and philosophy. He discusses his reasons for coming to London, to be free of the over-respectful approach to the Bausch legacy, his experience as a dancer and his approach to choreography. We talk about his work on the 'Brainland' project, as an example of his working method (working with dancers of a wide range of ages). We concludes by talking about his current projects and material he would like to work with in future.Participants:Adrian Look, Teacher and Choreographer, Director of Tanztheatre Adrian Look. https://tanztheateradrianlook.com/ ; http://www.lookatmovement.co.uk/Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/For more on Adrian's choreography: https://tanztheateradrianlook.com/productions/For more on his teaching: http://www.lookatmovement.co.uk/locations/For more on Pina Bausch: https://www.pinabausch.org/en/post/biographyFor more on the history of Tanztheatre: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TanztheaterOpening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcastKen Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/

In this podcast philosopher Walter Veit outlines five elements of conscious experience he believes can be scientifically explored,why and when, in evolutionary terms, those elements first appeared. He explains his concept of 'pathological complexity', which of those five may have appeared first, and the ethical imperatives that underpin animal consciousness research. After talking about slugs, octopuses and corvids we end with a discussion on how his approach may assist in creating machines that are in some sense conscious.Participants:Walter Veit, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Reading, UK. External Member at the Munich Center for Mathematical Philosophy' Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.https://walterveit.com/Ken Barrett, visual artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist.http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Walter's book, 'A PHILOSOPHY FOR THE SCIENCE OF ANIMAL CONSCIOUSNESS': is here: https://www.routledge.com/A-Philosophy-for-the-Science-of-Animal-Consciousness/Veit/p/book/9781032343617#:~:text=This%20book%20aims%20to%20advance%20a%20true%20Darwinian,integrate%20consciousness%20into%20an%20evolutionary%20view%20of%20life.Opening and closing music: Prelude to 'Brainland', the opera by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukFollow us us on Instagram:#brainlandcollective #brainlandthepodcast