Drawing from her experience working with food and land justice initiatives, Zayaan Khan examines ways to retrieve knowledge that have become extinct to us. She introduces the notion of ‘seed as relation’, a perspective that encourages using seed as a lens to see and relate with the world and all other living beings. Zayaan shares insights of the process behind her sound-piece ‘Seeds from the Streets to the Seas’ (2019), speaks about fermentation, how grief is embedded in the land in South Africa and much more.

Mentioned in this episode: Zayaan Khan and Coila-Leah Enderstein – ‘Seeds from the Streets to the Seas’ (2019) June Bam – ‘Deep listening’
Ecocide Aboriginal dreaming tracks Magical realism
⁠⁠J.M. Coetzee
Zayaan’s research project supported by Prince Claus Fund Fermentation Necropolitics Jorge Luis Borges – “Undivided divinity” in ‘Labyrinths’ (1962)

To know more about Zayaan’s work follow her on Instagram

Music for the JCAF Knowledge Talks podcast was commissioned by JCAF. ‘INGWENYA’, performed by the Afrikan Freedom Principle, led by Mandla Mlangeni, © MM Publishing.

Website URL: https://jcaf.org.zaInstagram: instagram.com/foundation_jcaf/

Dr Kirti Ranchod is a neurologist who explores the relationship between art and brain health. She dives into the concept of neuroaesthetics and shares how exposure to art can enhance our brain’s well-being. With an emphasis on perspectives from the African continent, she speaks to the critical role of food, culture, and the integration of diverse knowledge systems in our approach to mental and brain health.

Mentioned in this episode: Dr Kirti Ranchod’s project Memorability
‘Ecospheres’ exhibition at JCAF Eric Kandel – work on memory Nobel prize winner Jane Alexander – 'Butcher Boys' (1986) Irving Stone – 'The Agony and the Ecstasy' (1961) Exhibition featuring Zina Saro-Wiwa at the Brooklyn Museum (2016) Paul Klee – 'a line is a dot that went on a walk' Martin Buber – 'I and Thou' (1923) Henry David Thoreau Michel Foucault - 'Discipline and Punish' (1975) E.M. Forster –'Howards End' (1910) Dr Phuthuma Seoka

Music for the JCAF Knowledge Talks podcast was commissioned by JCAF. ‘INGWENYA’, performed by the Afrikan Freedom Principle, led by Mandla Mlangeni, © MM Publishing.

Website: jcaf.org.za Instagram: instagram.com/foundation_jcaf/

JCAF Knowledge Talks is a series of one-on-one conversations led by art-critic Ashraf Jamal. Recorded in JCAF’s Reading Room, in each episode we learn about a different discipline with an expert in the field. The conversations range from astrophysics and sustainable food practices, to AI, art and architecture. Through these talks, we explore how keeping a closer relationship between art and science can expand the way we see the world.

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