Of the Earth 本土
Of the Earth is a podcast created by Cortney Chaffin and Ellen Larson, two art historians who have dedicated themselves to the study of over 5,000 years of material culture from China. The program’s title comes from the Chinese word 本土 (bentu), meaning “native soil.” In each episode, Of the Earth digs into a wide range of topics, introducing listeners to the many connections, complexities, and contradictions of Chinese art and culture, across time and space.
Episodes
12 episodes
China's Southern Paradise: An interview with Dr. Yiwen Liu of the Cleveland Museum of Art
In this episode, Cortney & Ellen interview Dr. Yiwen Liu a research assistant at the Cleveland Museum of Art about the special exhibition China's Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta (open till January 7, 2024)....
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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32:08
Hidden Letters: A Conversation with Violet Du Feng (Part 2)
Part 2 of our conversation with award-winning director and producer Violet Du Feng. We talk about her recent documentary film Hidden Letters, which follows the stories of two millennial Chinese women connected by their love of Nush...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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17:59
Hidden Letters: A Conversation with Violet Du Feng (Part 1)
In part 1 of this two-part conversation, we sit down with award-winning director and producer Violet Du Feng to talk about her most recent film Hidden Letters, a documentary that follows the stories of two millennial Chinese women conn...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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25:14
Zhang Hongtu: "Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?"
What does Bodhidharma (founder of Zen Buddhism) have to do with Van Gogh? In this episode Cortney & Ellen sat down to talk about NYC-based artist Zhang Hongtu, political pop, and a series of ink paintings where Zhang Hongtu merges Bodhidhar...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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18:18
Xu Bing: The Art of Non-Being
In this episode of Of the Earth we chat about one our all time favorites, contemporary artist Xu Bing 徐冰. We share our experiences co-curating his 2012 exhibition at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, along with the artist's many Wiscon...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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25:30
An Otherworldy Murder Mystery: The Ghost Bride with Special Guest Yangsze Choo
Just in time for Halloween, Cortney & Ellen sit down with New York Times Bestselling author Yangsze Choo to talk about her debut novel The Ghost Bride. We dig deep into the origins of this ghostly murder mystery that takes us...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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51:27
Bonus Episode: The Politics and Pyrotechnics of Cai Guo-Qiang's "Sky Ladder" with Shanny Luft
Recently, Cortney & Ellen sat down with Shanny Luft, host of podcast No Cure for Curiosity and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, to talk about contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang and the Netflix documentary ...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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35:07
Prophetic Tortoises: Divination and Augmented Reality Through Time and Space
In this episode, Cortney & Ellen dig into one of the earliest existing records of writing found anywhere in the world. Once believed to be dragon bones, these objects have evoked fascinating, even controversial links between the past and th...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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21:06
Staging the Afterlife: The Temporalities of Lady Dai
In this episode, Cortney & Ellen discuss everyone's favorite 2,000 year old Chinese mummy who dreamed of immortality. How was this ancient Han dynasty woman's body so well preserved? Why did she drink mercury regularly and how do we know? W...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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28:27
Bonus: Learn the Chinese Dynasties with Cortney & Ellen!
Ever felt overwhelmed by how many Chinese dynasties there are to learn?! In this bonus episode, Cortney & Ellen introduce the "Chinese Dynasties Song," an incredible tool for learning the names of the Chinese dynasties. Impress your friends...
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Season 1
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3:43
Staging the Era: The Temporalities of Cao Fei
In Episode 1, Cortney and Ellen discuss contemporary artist Cao Fei's latest retrospective organized by UCCA Center for Contemporary Art.Link to "Cao Fei: Staging the Era" virtual guided tour with UCCA's director and CEO Philip Tinari a...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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34:40