Design Unmuted

In this episode of Landscapes Unmuted, Divine and Macy explore their personal journeys with tea , discussing its cultural significance, the rituals surrounding it, and how it connects to landscape architecture . They share their dreams of designing tea gardens that reflect diverse cultures and serve as community spaces. The conversation emphasizes the importance of tea as a form of self-care and p...

Maci and Divine explore the complexities of entrepreneurship, focusing on the intertwining of personal identity and professional life. They discuss the challenges of vulnerability, community support, and the emotional facets of being an entrepreneur. Key Themes Entrepreneurship requires navigating personal and professional identities. Community support is crucial for sustaining entrepreneurial jou...

In this episode of Landscapes Unmuted, Divine and Maci explore the concept of success, and redefining it . They discuss the traditional stereotypes of success and the challenges they present to keeping people in the field. The conversation emphasizes the need to redefine success to include personal well-being, work-life balance, and community impact. Then they close out the episode by sharing thei...

In this inaugural episode of Landscapes Unmuted, hosts Maci Nelson and Divine Ndemeye introduce their new podcast, discussing their backgrounds, the importance of collaboration, and the challenges of navigating mental health and burnout in the design field. The conversation highlights their commitment to creating a healthier, more inclusive environment in landscape architecture and design. Maci an...

On this episode with Landscape Designer Michelle Gagnon Creeley, we start off with a discussion on mental health and working culture in design education, and dive into her practice in design and mutual aid working with unhoused communities in Vancouver and Seattle. We bring housing issues into the realm of landscape architecture and unpack how parks have served as homes and spaces for survival. Di...

Join us as  we unpack the stories behind our exhibition; Sustaining Apertures, currently on view at the Or Gallery from March 7 to July 6, 2024. Together Colin and I share all about our collaborative journey and discuss food security in relation to the land, intersectional conversations around environmental justice, place-based design, and architecture in contemporary&nbsp...

Saba Farmand , a landscape architect,  talks about his passionate project that documents the boulevard gardens in East Vancouver and the stories behind the people who take over these public boulevard spaces and turn them into gardens. Through this project, Saba aims to build more urban literacy, environmental education and most importantly putting Landscape architecture into the community. Th...

I am happy to launch the first conversation of the podcast season TRANSFORMING with Patricia Algara and Jose Leal. In this conversation Patricia and Jose share the ways in which they engage with their design practices in a meaningful way, engaging their spiritual practices into their work as a means to restore balance, connections to the cosmos and to reclaim their own indigeneity and agency. Tune...

Announcement of the new podcast season called TRANSFORMING where I share about this theme and what you can expect over the next few months. I also tell you all about the new direction my Art and Design practice have taken this year.

In the second part of our conversation, Dr Diane Jones Allen talks to us about her practice Design Jones LLC, and her work in designing and building grassroots community driven projects. Diane shares the unique ways she has practiced Landscape Architecture in a non corporate way. We talk about the challenges that Black folks face in the profession; from being a student, practicing in academia or i...

In this first part of our conversation, Dr Diane Jones Allen shares with us about Maroon landscapes; communities that were established by Black communities who during the time of the middle passage during slavery, jumped off ships and freed themselves by moving, hiding and stewarding the swamps. These communities were said to have “marooned” themselves. Tune in to hear the stories of maroon landsc...

In this episode, our guest Ashley Jane Lewis shares her work with Slime Tech Lab in using slim mold to promote equitable distribution of social justice, mutual aid, and wellbeing in local communities. We also discussed the messed up state of tech industry and social media platforms; and how understanding of slime mold behavior could inform the imagination of an alternative practice of intentional...

In this episode, my guest is Krystal Paraboo; an art historian and curator, community builder, communications specialist and activist. Krystal and I talk about decolonizing art spaces, curatorial activism, afrofuturism and we nerd out a bit on Harry Potter (mostly Krystal). We talk about work, productivity and mental health. Krystal also shares all about the Black Strathcona Resurgence Project whi...

Continuing the conversation from part 1 on how Walter built his design career and creative ethos, this second part, we talk about the importance of making beautiful socially responsible work and the ways in which we ought to find ways to tell the truth in design. He calls this a prophetic aesthetic. We also talk about the pains of living as black people in a world full of racism, his latest art pr...

On this episode, Nya shares all about the “SANKOFA: African routes, Canadian roots” exhibition; the first African collection to be led by folks of African descent at the Museum of Anthropology at UBC. Nya describes the importance of Curatorial voices as the “Silent hand of how art is being consumed publicly”. We talk about the challenges of art curation and the strategic erasure of Black people in...

On this episode, Uytae and I talk all things Vancouver. Uytae Lee is an urban planner and videographer who is the creative producer and director of About Here.

Three friends, some prosecco, snacks and a conversation about freelancing, freedom, burnout, grief and joy.

In this episode, I am joined by Roberta Oramabo, an architect and landscape Architect. She recounts her design training and practice in Nigeria and all the surprising changes she encountered when she moved to Vancouver. We talk about how “sustainability” is conceived of and practiced in different places. We also talk about Nigerian cultural rituals and the ways these are celebrated. Roberta also t...

On this episode, I am joined by my friend Kiga (Landry Kigabiro), a DJ, producer and all around creative. We talk about his creative journey, his creative process and how the soundtrack of the design unmuted podcast; under the sun, came to be. We also talk about what freedom is. You can find his unique and eclectic mixes @Kuruza on Spotify

Episode 5

In this conversation, Sierra Tasi Baker, Lead Design Consultant at Sky Spirit Studio, talks about finding happiness in her identity while living on the unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim speaking peoples of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) (MST) peoples, otherwise known as Vancouver.  In explorin...

In this interview, Kofi Bonne, author of Black Landscapes Matter and Professor of Landscape Architecture at NC State University in the College of Design, discusses his experience as a black landscape architect, the importance of making space for the next generation of black landscape architects, and challenging white supremacy in design education. In this conversation, Divine and Kofi explore what...

“Black is spatial for me.” Words from Rumbi Zinyemba In this episode, I am joined by my good friends Rumbi Zinyemba and Petros Kusmu for a discussion centred around Blackness and what it means to be Black. We  discuss being Black in the context of Canada and how this differs from being Black in our home countries, the spatiality of structural racism, what a Black utopia might look like, and h...