Saturday Morning for Saturday 4 July 2020

8:10 Tracking down the Golden State Killer: Paige St. John

Former policeman Joseph DeAngelo, the man known as the Golden State Killer, admitted to 13 murders and myriad other crimes in court this week in a plea deal designed to spare him the death penalty.

Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist Paige St. John of the The Los Angeles Times lives in the same region DeAngelo terrorised in the 1970s and 1980s, and has reported on his life, crimes and trial, as well as making and hosting a podcast about him called Man In The Window.

 

8:30 Epidemiologist Adam Kucharski: the science of contagion

Why do some diseases spread while others fail to take hold?

Adam Kucharski studies the mathematics of contagion: predicting patterns of transmission for outbreaks including Ebola, Zika and now Covid-19.

By understanding how human behaviour can shape a disease's spread he wants to make our efforts to combat them more effective.

In his new book The Rules of Contagion he also considers parallels between the science of contagion and the virality of trends and ideas in modern culture. Understand these principles, he argues, and you can use them for good: to tackle gun violence, or to fight the spread of fake news.

9:05 Before Everest: exploring Hillary's rocky relationship with climber Earle Riddiford

In mountaineering circles, saying you'd never want to share a rope with someone is a harsh insult. And when the man saying these things about you is national hero Sir Edmund Hillary, it really isn't good for your image.

Hillary wrote these words about fellow mountaineer Earle Riddiford: the man who first introduced him to the Himalayas.

Decades later, in his documentary Before Everest, Riddiford's son Richard revisits these words, reviews his difficult father's deeds, and reflects on his own conflicted feelings about him. So what did Earle Riddiford do wrong?  

Before Everest will screen online on Aug 2 and 3, and play at select cinemas as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival.

9:35 New Arts Icon Sandy Adsett

Artist and painter Sandy Adsett (Ngāti Kahungunu) has just been selected by the Arts Foundation as an icon of New Zealand art "...for his profound impact on the Māori community and Māori arts education system within Aotearoa."

With experience in carving, weaving, costume and stage design, Dr Adsett joins his friends Ralph Hotere, Cliff Whiting, Fred Graham and Arnold Wilson who have been similarly honoured.

As well as his creative career the award also recognises his work as a teacher of some of Aotearoa's most talented Māori artists. Born in Wairoa, he is currently Adjunct Professor at Toimairangi, The Contemporary Maori Art School, at Te Wananga o Aotearoa in Hastings and maintains strong links with his old school, Te Aute College.

10:05 The history and mystery of the brain: Matthew Cobb

Matthew Cobb is Professor of Zoology at the University of Manchester where his research focuses on the sense of smell, insect behaviour, and the history of science (also, maggots!).

His new book The Idea of The Brain traces the history of our understanding of the brain and how it works.

Cobb's previous books include Life's Greatest Secret:The Race to Discover the Genetic Code, which was shortlisted for the Royal Society Winton Book Prize, and histories The Resistance: The French Fight against the Nazis and Eleven Days in August: The Liberation of Paris in 1944.

11:00 Underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor

British artist Jason deCaires Taylor is a sub-aquatic artist with a growing list of extraordinary works.

His seabed creations, often featuring realistic human figures based on local people, become living works of art as they get colonised by sea life.

His most recent piece, a submerged art and sculpture installation off the Queensland coast, is designed to help regenerate the Great Barrier Reef and to continuously monitor its health.

11:40 Wrap artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude

Christo, the Bulgarian-born conceptual artist best known for wrapping large and unlikely things died at the end of May.

He worked for much of his career with partner Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (Jeanne-Claude).

The duo created large-scale, site-specific public artworks - The Reichstag, the Pont Neuf, whole islands, and the gates in New York City's Central Park were among their fabric and plastic-clad subjects.

The logistical challenges they faced in turning their visions into reality- all the planning meetings and the public consultations and the red tape- in a sense all these became part of their artwork too.

Curator and art historian Mary Kisler will examine their art and his legacy.

 

Books mentioned in this show

The Rules of Contagion: Why Things Spread - and Why They Stop
Adam Kucharski
ISBN: 9781788160193    
Publisher: Profile Books

 

The Idea of the Brain: A History
Matthew Cobb
ISBN: 9781781255896
Publisher: Profile Books

 

Music played in this show

Song: Cazadera
Artist: Fruit Bats
Played at 9:30

Song: Where Is My Mind
Artist: Pixies
Played at 10:05

Song: Revival
Artist: Gregory Porter
Played at 11:30