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e237 helen yung – art as refuge
Season 6 Episode 237
- Artistic practice, cultural traditions, cultural practice, folk traditions… These are all places where we have where wisdoms that might otherwise have been lost have been protected, sheltered or found refuge. And like, artists have this like hoarding tendency sometimes, right? Like maybe not all artists, but a lot of us, you know, we look for, for these neglected things, the things that people don't care about so much. We make special or we keep special. And then it's through the artists right now, through the peoples who've kept the stories, kept the cultures, kept the artifacts or the practices that we can reconnect and collapse time. We can close some of that distance between who I am, where I am today, and ancestors from way before through those practices.
My conversation with interdisciplinary artist, researcher and consultant Helen Yung who leads the Laboratory for Artistic Intelligence, an artist-driven transdisciplinary research group that specializes in reimagining how things work in the world. Led by artists, this Lab collaborates with people in community, culture, astronomy, physics, psychology, medicine, immigration, mental health, information sciences, education, and more. Helen is a sparkplug of creativity and innovation. I had the pleasure of attending a presentation by Helen about her work at the Worldmaking as Creative Practice gathering in Tkaronto on May 29 and 30, 2025 which was hosted by the Creative Communities Commons at University of Toronto's School of Cities and led by Artist-Researcher-in-Residence Shannon Litzenberger. You’ll hear Helen and I refer to this Worldmaking gathering throughout our conversation, for example, when I ask Helen about art as refuge. At the end of the episode Helen invite listeners to join the to the Forum for Artistic Intelligence (ART/INForum).
A note of thanks to EM Luka, a good friend and collaborator of Helen's, who participated in the conversation but was not included in the final edit due to time constraints.
Show notes generated by Whisper Transcribe AI
Action points
- Recognize art as a refuge for spirituality, soulfulness, and cultural preservation in times of conflict.
- Explore your roots and kinship to tap into reservoirs of knowledge and wisdom.
- Understand the continuum between art for art’s sake and applied arts, and how they intertwine.
- Embrace the concept of pluriversalism to appreciate diverse perspectives and imaginations.
- Join the Forum for Artistic Intelligence to connect with like-minded individuals.
Story Preview
Imagine a world where art safeguards culture, bridges divides, and sparks imagination. Helen Yung shares her vision of art as a sanctuary and a catalyst for understanding our pluriversal world, challenging us to reconsider the role of creativity in society.
Chapter Summary
00:00 The Value of Cultural Practices
01:24 Introducing Helen Yung
03:42 Pluriversalism and Artistic Practice
07:05 Art as a Refuge
11:14 Roots and Artistic Identity
Featured Quotes
- Artists have this like hoarding tendency sometimes… we look for, for these neglected things, the things that people don’t care about so much. We make special or we keep special.
- Art has been a sort of holding space or a place
Published on 5 months, 1 week ago