Parallel Worlds
By Ollie Palmer
Parallel WorldsMay 03, 2021
2021.W9.E2 Bonus: Interview with Abi Palmer (rebroadcast)
Note: this interview is a repeat, having been recorded and interviewed last year. Full show notes at
===
Abi Palmer is a mixed-media artist and writer. Her work often includes themes of disability, gender and multisensory interaction. Her artworks include: Crip Casino, an interactive gambling arcade parodying the wellness industry and institutionalised spaces, displayed at the Tate Modern and Somerset House; and Alchemy, a multisensory poetry game, which won a Saboteur Award in 2016. She has written for BBC Radio, The Guardian and Poetry London. She recently published her first book, Sanatorium, through Penned in the Margins.
Abi is also my sister, and we frequently collaborate on creative projects together. In this *very* rambling conversation, Abi and I discuss myriad topics, including:
- Abi's book Sanatorium (out now from Penned in the Margins) - Physical movement (and embodiment) and thought processes - Constraints in creativity - Failure and experimentation - Underpowered vehicles as a metaphor for our creative relationship - Bath-tubs - Numerous artworks we've worked on, including Crip Casino, Nybble, Ant Ballet, etc. - Social media and filmic influences on framing the real world
Links
2021.W9.E2 Bonus: Interview with Tim Clare (rebroadcast)
Today's episode is a repeat from last year - the interview with poet, fiction writer, performer, and podcaster Tim Clare.
Apologies for the low audio quality of my introduction!
Full transcript of this episode at parallel.olliepalmer.com.
Links
- Tim’s website
- Tim Clare’s podcast Death of 1000 Cuts (recommended for anyone who wants to write!)
- Follow Tim on Twitter @timclarepoet or buy Tim a Coffee
2021.W9.E1 Action: Final assignment
The time has come! It's the last assignment of the course.
Today's exercises:
- Continuous writing, in reflection on your life, thoughts, and feelings at the moment
5 minutes
- Make a narrative audio work of 6-12 minutes’ length which includes elements of:
your real, daily life and/or artistic practice
a parallel, fictional world of your choosing
- The role of this exercise is to enact the learnings of this course – the process of world-building and narrative writing – in one concise audio work.
- The audio work can be real and/or fictionalised. It can use autobiography, fiction, found sounds, your own foley – whatever helps you to take the listener on a journey between two worlds. It should carefully consider the emotional journey you wish for a listener to go through, using principles of ‘framing’ we have discussed throughout this podcast.
Full notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W8.E5 Action: Your worst review
What's your worst review?
2021.W8.E4 Action: Your best review
Today we're reflecting on our immediate surroundings, then writing the ideal review of your work.
Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W8.E3 Action: Synthesis
Combining your ideas!
Full show notes, transcription and exercises at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W8.E2 Action: A list of "things"
This episode contains two exercises:
- A 5 minute free write / free-speak / free draw / free something, to record the here and now, or to let your mind wander
- A 10 minute exercise to - make a list of ‘things’ which have an underlying concept, from any area of human culture. You could list films, TV shows, books, poems, soap operas, operas, songs, games – whatever they are, make sure you can summarise their key concepts in a sentence or two.
Full show notes, exercise and a transcript available at the Parallel Worlds website.
2021.W8.E1 Action: Listening to Six House Parties by Ross Sutherland
This episode we're mixing it up a little, and listening to a story from another podcast! This episode features Ross Sutherland’s story Six House Parties, which is part of his podcast Imaginary Advice. You can also listen to the original story on Soundcloud, but I really recommend you subscribe to Imaginary Advice with your favourite podcast app!
Many thanks to Ross for letting us use this segment. A full transcript of Ollie’s part of this episode is available at the Parallel Worlds website.
2021.W7.E6 Reflection: Elisabet
Chick Mate by Elisabet, who interviews Mohammad. Note, this is the same interview as 2021.W7.E1, but edited differently!
Elisabet says: This is an interview of Mohammad talking about a story he created, which is based on a lies you would tell to kids. This story is about why chickens can't fly.
Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W7.E5 Reflection: Vlad
This weeks' podcasts were made by students in the Parallel Worlds class interviewing each other. This piece is an interview with Niké by Vlad, who says: Attempting to keep the original format of a live podcast, We decided to have a free conversation about a subject that is relevant to everybody, Food
It's called Parallel Perspectives.
Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W7.E4 Reflection: Niké
This weeks' podcasts were made by students in the Parallel Worlds class interviewing each other. This piece is an interview with Vlad by Niké, who says: We focus on food and its relation with art. It's called Parallel Perspectives. Come back tomorrow for the reverse interview!
Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W7.E3 Reflection: Tracks by Linda
This weeks' podcasts were made by students in the Parallel Worlds class interviewing each other.
Today, Joris describes a sound exploration along the train tracks and the joy of listening with new ears.
Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W7.E2 Reflection: Interview with Clara by Scienthya
It's a quick chit chat with Clara, a Situated Design student at MIVC. She explains one of her work for Parallel Worlds module, Tears are the Drool of the Eye. Check it out!
Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W7.E1 Reflection: A ChitChat by Mohammad
Student interview between Mohammad and Elisabet. Mohammad says:
"I was interviewed by Elisabeth about the last task to do for this module, where we had to write lies to kids and create a narrative story about it"
Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W6.E5 Action
The last action podcast of this week, with full show notes as ever at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W6.E4 Action
Transcript and notes and all that stuff at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W6.E3 Action
Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com
Exercises
- Self-reflection freewrite (5 minutes)
List as many mystical objects as you can, ranging from the completely mundane to the outlandishly fantastical. We surround ourselves with objects that have special significance to us or others, which may seem irrational to an outsider. Today we’ll be creating a list of real-world and fictional objects which have special significance. - Free write about objects that have special significance to you. Do you keep a picture in your wallet? Do you carry something someone gave you? Do you use the same thing every day? What objects around you have significance? (5 minutes)
- Make a list of objects with fictional significance or powers. You could work in several ways here: you could take objects you can see, and make up powers that they have (e.g. the pencil sharpener on my desk is forged of dragon-steel; this smartphone can actually steal souls) or make up objects and their powers (e.g. if worn, these shoes make the wearer as strong as an ox; glasses which make you ‘see the truth’), etc. If you find yourself going into detail on one object, go for it – but if you’d rather make a list, that’s also good! (5 minutes)
2021.W6.E2 Action
Do you like notes with your podcast? Because we have them, oh yes we have them indeed, at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W6.E1 Action
Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com
2021.W5.E2 Reflection: Sound design
This episode is just a link to two other articles on other peoples' podcasts:
- Rain is sizzling bacon, cars are lions roaring: the art of sound in movies by Jordan Kinsner in the Guardian
(audio version here / text version here)
Written by Jordan Kisner and read by Christopher Ragland; Produced by Simon Barnard. - Sounds natural by 99 Percent Invisible.
(listen here)
Producer Emmett FitzGerald spoke with film producer Chris Palmer; Foley artist Richard Hinton and sound recordist Chris Watson.
========
If you want to listen to more, look at these interesting 99 Percent Invisible audio episodes
And these practical guides:
2021.W5.E1 Reflection: The House by Nick Bromann
Today's episode is the short fiction piece The House by Nick Bromann, a current student on the Situated Design course at the Master Institute of Visual Cultures, and was completed during this course in 2020.
Nick's other work can be found on Instagram at @bromann.nick. Music in this episode comes from Ketsa and Nctrnm.
2021.W4.E5 Action
Full show notes here
2021.W4.E4 Action
Full show notes here
2021.W4.E3 Action
Full show notes here
2021.W4.E2 Action
Full show notes here
2021.W4.E1 Action
Full show notes here
2021.W3.E2 Reflection: Matrix of Salvis by Salvis Slavišens
Today’s episode was made by Salvis Slavišens, a Situated Design student who took this course last year. More information and full credits at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/2021/podcast/w03e02.
Music in this episode by Ketsa (Multiverse) and Daniel Birch (Amber Haze), both used with Creative Commons licenses.
2021.W3.E1 Reflection: Counterfactuals
This episode is about counterfactuals! But really, it might have been about anything else.
Full show notes and transcript available at parallel.olliepalmer.com. Note: this episode was originally posted last year.
2021.W2.E5 Action
Full notes at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/2021/podcast/w02e05
2021.W2.E4 Action
Full notes at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/2021/podcast/w02e04
2021.W2.E3 Action
Full notes at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/2021/podcast/w02e03
2021.W2.E2 Action
Full notes at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/2021/podcast/w02e02
2021.W2.E1 Action
Full notes at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/2021/podcast/w02e01
2021.W1.E4 Reflection: Interview with Amy Butt, part 2
Today we talk to Amy Butt, architect, lecturer, design tutor in architecture, and independent researcher. But today we’re talking about Amy’s other passion – science fiction. This is part two of a two-part podcast! Please listen to the first half first if you haven't already. :)
If you want to read up on any of the subjects touched upon here, we talk about:
Novels / Short stories:
- Pamela Zoline (1988) The Heat Death of the Universe
- JG Ballard (1975) High Rise
- Moshin Hamid (2017) Exit West
- Doris Lessing (1974) Memoirs of a Survivor
- Kim Stanley Robinson (2017) New York 2140 (and briefly Three Californias Trilogy!)
- Octavia Butler (1993) Parable of the Sower
- Chen Qiufan (2013) The Waste Tide
- N. K. Jemisin (2013) The Fifth Season (book one of the Broken Earth trilogy)
Essays / Theory:
- J. G. Ballard (1962) “Which way to inner space”, New Worlds, #118
- Kodwo Eshun (2003) ‘Further Considerations on Afrofuturism’ The New Centennial Review, Volume 3, Number 2 - (quoted - “Assemble counter memories that contest the historical archive”)
- Kodwo Eshun (1998) More Brilliant than the Sun (book on the music of Afrofuturism)
- Dan Hassler-Forest (2014) “The Politics of World-Building: Heteroglossia in Janelle Monáe's Afrofuturist WondaLand” Para-doxa Volume 26
- Kathleen Spencer (1983) ‘"The Red Sun Is High, the Blue Low": Towards a Stylistic Description of Science Fiction’ Science Fiction Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1
- Darko Suvin (1979) Metamorphoses of Science Fiction: On the Poetics and History of a Literary Genre
Many thanks to Amy for taking the time to talk to us! Full show notes at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/2021/podcast/w01e04
2021.W1.E3 Reflection: Interview with Amy Butt, part 1
Today we talk to Amy Butt, architect, lecturer, design tutor in architecture, and independent researcher. But today we’re talking about Amy’s other passion – science fiction. This is part one of a two-part podcast! Please listen in again tomorrow for more of our conversation.
If you want to read up on any of the subjects touched upon here, we talk about:
Novels / Short stories:
- Pamela Zoline (1988) The Heat Death of the Universe
- JG Ballard (1975) High Rise
- Moshin Hamid (2017) Exit West
- Doris Lessing (1974) Memoirs of a Survivor
- Kim Stanley Robinson (2017) New York 2140 (and briefly Three Californias Trilogy!)
- Octavia Butler (1993) Parable of the Sower
- Chen Qiufan (2013) The Waste Tide
- N. K. Jemisin (2013) The Fifth Season (book one of the Broken Earth trilogy)
Essays / Theory:
- J. G. Ballard (1962) “Which way to inner space”, New Worlds, #118
- Kodwo Eshun (2003) ‘Further Considerations on Afrofuturism’ The New Centennial Review, Volume 3, Number 2 - (quoted - “Assemble counter memories that contest the historical archive”)
- Kodwo Eshun (1998) More Brilliant than the Sun (book on the music of Afrofuturism)
- Dan Hassler-Forest (2014) “The Politics of World-Building: Heteroglossia in Janelle Monáe's Afrofuturist WondaLand” Para-doxa Volume 26
- Kathleen Spencer (1983) ‘"The Red Sun Is High, the Blue Low": Towards a Stylistic Description of Science Fiction’ Science Fiction Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1
- Darko Suvin (1979) Metamorphoses of Science Fiction: On the Poetics and History of a Literary Genre
Many thanks to Amy for taking the time to talk to us! Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com/2021/podcast/w01e03
2021.W1.E2 Reflection: Sem Panhuizen’s Identical But Not Identical
2021.W1.E1 Reflection: Ye Xu’s A Foggy Day
Today’s episode was made by Ye Xu, a Situated Design student who took this course last year. More information and full credits at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/2021/podcast/w01e01.
Music in this episode by Ketsa (Multiverse) and Daniel Birch (Amber Haze), both used with Creative Commons licenses.
2021 Parallel Worlds introduction
Welcome to Parallel Worlds 2021! This episode is an introduction to this 8-week open-access course.
For more information and a complete transcript, please go to this episode's page on the Parallel Worlds website: https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/2021/podcast/w01e00
Week 5 Episode 5: Interview with Tim Clare
Today's episode is an interview with poet, fiction writer, performer, and podcaster Tim Clare.
Apologies for the low audio quality of my introduction!
Full transcript of this episode at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/pages/podcast/w05e05-interview-tim-clare.html
Links
- Tim’s website
- Tim Clare’s podcast Death of 1000 Cuts (recommended for anyone who wants to write!)
- Follow Tim on Twitter @timclarepoet or buy Tim a Coffee
Week 5 Episode 4: Interview with Abi Palmer
Abi Palmer is a mixed-media artist and writer. Her work often includes themes of disability, gender and multisensory interaction. Her artworks include: Crip Casino, an interactive gambling arcade parodying the wellness industry and institutionalised spaces, displayed at the Tate Modern and Somerset House; and Alchemy, a multisensory poetry game, which won a Saboteur Award in 2016. She has written for BBC Radio, The Guardian and Poetry London. She recently published her first book, Sanatorium, through Penned in the Margins.
Abi is also my sister, and we frequently collaborate on creative projects together. In this *very* rambling conversation, Abi and I discuss myriad topics, including:
- Abi's book Sanatorium (out now from Penned in the Margins)
- Physical movement (and embodiment) and thought processes
- Constraints in creativity
- Failure and experimentation
- Underpowered vehicles as a metaphor for our creative relationship
- Bath-tubs
- Numerous artworks we've worked on, including Crip Casino, Nybble, Ant Ballet, etc.
- Social media and filmic influences on framing the real world
Links
Week 5 Episode 3: Final exercises
This is the last exercise episode of this season!
Exercises
- Continuous writing, in reflection on your life, thoughts, and feelings at the moment (5 mins)
- Make a narrative audio work of 6-12 minutes’ length which includes elements of your real, daily life and/or artistic practice, and a parallel, fictional world of your choosing. The role of this exercise is to enact the learnings of this course – the process of world-building and narrative writing – in one concise audio work. The audio work can be real and/or fictionalised. It can use autobiography, fiction, found sounds, your own foley – whatever helps you to take the listener on a journey between two worlds. It should carefully consider the emotional journey you wish for a listener to go through, using principles of ‘framing’ we have discussed throughout this podcast.
Resources
Check out the writing and audio resources at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/resources, and the full show transcription at https://parallel.olliepalmer.com/pages/podcast/w05e03-exercises.html
Week 5 Bonus and update
This is a bonus episode, to update you with the plans for the rest of this podcast. Full transcript available here.
Week 5 Episode 2: Exercises - your worst review
Today we're being mean on ourselves, writing the worst review possible for our own work.
Full show notes, transcription and exercises at parallel.olliepalmer.com/podcast
Week 5 Episode 1: Exercises - your best review
Today we're reflecting on our immediate surroundings, then writing the ideal review of your work.
Full show notes, transcription and exercises at parallel.olliepalmer.com/podcast
Week 4 Episode 5: Interview with Amy Butt, part 2
Today we talk to Amy Butt, architect, lecturer, design tutor in architecture, and independent researcher. But today we’re talking about Amy’s other passion – science fiction. This is part two of a two-part podcast! It will make more sense if you've already listened to part 1. 😀️
If you want to read up on any of the subjects touched upon here, we talk about:
Novels / Short stories:
- Pamela Zoline (1988) The Heat Death of the Universe
- JG Ballard (1975) High Rise
- Moshin Hamid (2017) Exit West
- Doris Lessing (1974) Memoirs of a Survivor
- Kim Stanley Robinson (2017) New York 2140 (and briefly Three Californias Trilogy!)
- Octavia Butler (1993) Parable of the Sower
- Chen Qiufan (2013) The Waste Tide
- N. K. Jemisin (2013) The Fifth Season (book one of the Broken Earth trilogy)
Essays / Theory:
- J. G. Ballard (1962) “Which way to inner space”, New Worlds, #118
- Kodwo Eshun (2003) ‘Further Considerations on Afrofuturism’ The New Centennial Review, Volume 3, Number 2 - (quoted - “Assemble counter memories that contest the historical archive”)
- Kodwo Eshun (1998) More Brilliant than the Sun (book on the music of Afrofuturism)
- Dan Hassler-Forest (2014) “The Politics of World-Building: Heteroglossia in Janelle Monáe's Afrofuturist WondaLand” Para-doxa Volume 26
- Kathleen Spencer (1983) ‘"The Red Sun Is High, the Blue Low": Towards a Stylistic Description of Science Fiction’ Science Fiction Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1
- Darko Suvin (1979) Metamorphoses of Science Fiction: On the Poetics and History of a Literary Genre
Many thanks to Amy for taking the time to talk to us! Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com/podcast
Week 4 Episode 4: Interview with Amy Butt, part 1
Today we talk to Amy Butt, architect, lecturer, design tutor in architecture, and independent researcher. But today we’re talking about Amy’s other passion – science fiction. This is part one of a two-part podcast! Please listen in again tomorrow for more of our conversation.
If you want to read up on any of the subjects touched upon here, we talk about:
Novels / Short stories:
- Pamela Zoline (1988) The Heat Death of the Universe
- JG Ballard (1975) High Rise
- Moshin Hamid (2017) Exit West
- Doris Lessing (1974) Memoirs of a Survivor
- Kim Stanley Robinson (2017) New York 2140 (and briefly Three Californias Trilogy!)
- Octavia Butler (1993) Parable of the Sower
- Chen Qiufan (2013) The Waste Tide
- N. K. Jemisin (2013) The Fifth Season (book one of the Broken Earth trilogy)
Essays / Theory:
- J. G. Ballard (1962) “Which way to inner space”, New Worlds, #118
- Kodwo Eshun (2003) ‘Further Considerations on Afrofuturism’ The New Centennial Review, Volume 3, Number 2 - (quoted - “Assemble counter memories that contest the historical archive”)
- Kodwo Eshun (1998) More Brilliant than the Sun (book on the music of Afrofuturism)
- Dan Hassler-Forest (2014) “The Politics of World-Building: Heteroglossia in Janelle Monáe's Afrofuturist WondaLand” Para-doxa Volume 26
- Kathleen Spencer (1983) ‘"The Red Sun Is High, the Blue Low": Towards a Stylistic Description of Science Fiction’ Science Fiction Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1
- Darko Suvin (1979) Metamorphoses of Science Fiction: On the Poetics and History of a Literary Genre
Many thanks to Amy for taking the time to talk to us! Full show notes at parallel.olliepalmer.com/podcast
Week 4 Episode 3: Exercises: Synthesis
Week 4 Episode 2: Exercises (a list of things)
This episode contains two exercises:
- A 5 minute free write / free-speak / free draw / free something, to record the here and now, or to let your mind wander
- A 10 minute exercise to - make a list of ‘things’ which have an underlying concept, from any area of human culture. You could list films, TV shows, books, poems, soap operas, operas, songs, games – whatever they are, make sure you can summarise their key concepts in a sentence or two.
Full show notes, exercise and a transcript available at the Parallel Worlds website.
Week 4 Episode 1: Listening to Six House Parties by Ross Sutherland
This episode we're mixing it up a little, and listening to a story from another podcast! This episode features Ross Sutherland’s story Six House Parties, which is part of his podcast Imaginary Advice. You can also listen to the original story on Soundcloud, but I really recommend you subscribe to Imaginary Advice with your favourite podcast app!
Many thanks to Ross for letting us use this segment. A full transcript of Ollie’s part of this episode is available at the Parallel Worlds website.
Week 3 Episode 6: Conversation with Sarah Lugthart
This week, I speak to Sarah Lugthart from the Master Institute of Visual Cultures about her work on the Immersive Storytelling minor, techniques from the world of immersive theatre and audio, and some general ideas about prototyping experiences. For notes including references to the works we discuss, and a (not-quite-perfect) transcript, visit the Parallel Worlds site at parallel.olliepalmer.com.