TM research fellow, Susannah Haslam, and TM studio manager, Lou-Atessa Marcellin join programme curator Andrea Cetrulo in a conversation around cultural infrastructure. 

Susannah and Lou have cultivated a friendship as they cultivated a garden together in south London. During these outdoor encounters, they’ve mused on ecosophy, how we can learn from non human organizations and what a return to modular principles of education, and lifelong learning could mean for our societies.

Susannah talks about her fellowship with Theatrum Mundi, which draws on her doctoral studies and interest in alternative educational curricula. What does it actually mean to build a cultural institution? We also discuss the tension between innovation and stability, learning and unlearning, and the benefits and risks of becoming institutionalised.

Lou is the founder of DIASPORE, a multidisciplinary research platform, as well as the School of Ronces (formerly NEWS seasonal school), which explore the making of landscapes in rural and urban environments.

Image from: Eva Rowson's workshop at Tate Modern for Talking with Neighbours: reimagining the institution.

Curated and produced by Andrea Cetrulo