Professor Richard Sommer and Matthew Spellberg meet to talk about their shared research into a transcultural history of dreaming, dream sharing and the importance of idling.
Matthew Spellberg is a scholar whose topic of study is the comparative history of dreaming—how dreams are experienced, shared, and made use of in different cultures. Originally trained as an architect, Professor Richard Sommer is interested in where politics and design meet. He writes on monument making, urbanism and time-based architecture.
The pair sit down to discuss dream sharing and the important role psychic spaces play in how we live and work together, mutual interests that have brought them to collaborate on exhibitions and events.
This is the first in a new series of talks on the podcast, where artists, cultural practitioners and other thinkers are invited to discuss a theme connected to our programme, with the duo reflecting on how that influences contemporary culture. Forthcoming episodes will be with Michaela Crimmin and Hrair Sarkissian on photography's role in remembering and healing, followed by Arike Oke and Pelumi Odubanjo on knowledge transmission and community building within Black British culture.