atmospheres is a standalone podcast project presented by Cosmopolitan Currents, a project of the Center for Cosmopolitan Culture. Hosted by Dr. Richard Shusterman, a philosopher renowned for his work in pragmatist aesthetics and somaesthetics. The series is produced and directed by award-winning author, filmmaker, and Emerging Scholar Award recipient Hirbod Human, whose interdisciplinary practice explores the intersections of aesthetics, design, culture, and the humanities.
The first series in this project explores the complex philosophical idea of atmosphere through friendly dialogues with international experts combined with reflective commentary. Recorded during the 2024 “Somaesthetics of Atmosphere” conference hosted by Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Body, Mind, and Culture, with support from the Schmidt Family Foundation and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, this first podcast series of the project invites listeners to consider the variety of ways atmosphere is experienced in diverse environments and lived situations, especially in cities but also in more natural settings.
In Episode 10 of atmospheres, Dr. Shusterman speaks with Bartłomiej Struzik, Leszek Koczanowicz, and Dorota Koczanowicz about the different atmospheres of different Polish cities, notably Kraków, Warsaw, and Wrocław. Their conversation examines the experience of atmosphere through family history, insider and outsider perspectives, city structure, tourism, memory, and the different ways personal and public histories shape how a city is experienced.
30 Jun 2026
Bologna: Andrea Borsari
In Episode 9 of atmospheres, Dr. Shusterman speaks with Andrea Borsari, professor of philosophy at the University of Bologna, about Bologna, Italy. Their conversation explores atmosphere through the themes of walking, architecture, the rhythms of university life, student presence, and the balance between historical depth and everyday urban experience.
30 Jun 2026
Montreal: Mark Watson
In Episode 8 of atmospheres, Dr. Shusterman speaks with Mark K. Watson, anthropology professor at Concordia University, Montreal, about the atmosphere of Montreal, Canada. Their conversation explores how the city’s atmosphere is influenced by Montreal’s bilingual and bicultural life, its contrast of cold climate and warmly welcoming attitude, its micro-atmospheres in different parts of the city, and the changing colors of the city’s different seasons.
30 Jun 2026
Tokyo: Tanehisa Otabe
In Episode 7 of atmospheres, Dr. Shusterman speaks with Tanehisa Otabe, professor of aesthetics at Tokyo University, Japan about his home city of Tokyo. Their conversation examines the idea of urban atmosphere through such topics as the mega-city as a network of smaller worlds with distinctive architectural differences, the effects of Covid on urban atmosphere, and the atmospheric qualities of different languages, such as Japanese and German in contributing to the atmosphere of communication.
30 Jun 2026
Paris: Mathias Girel
In Episode 6 of atmospheres, Dr. Richard Shusterman speaks with Mathias Girel, philosophy professor at the École normale supérieure in Paris, France. Their conversation discusses the meanings of atmosphere through inner and outer space, varieties of light and landscape, and the subtle ways atmosphere moves between the external environment and inner experience.
30 Jun 2026
Vienna: Ruth Anderwald, Leonhard Grond
In Episode 5 of atmospheres, Dr. Shusterman speaks with Ruth Anderwald + Leonhard Grond, Vienna-based artist-researchers, about their home city of Vienna, Austria. Their conversation explores atmosphere through the topics of imperial memory, parks, climate anxiety, moving images, and the strange mixture of beauty, unease, and nostalgia in the city.
30 Jun 2026
Berlin: Hans-Peter Krüger
In Episode 4 of atmospheres, Dr. Shusterman speaks with Hans-Peter Krüger, philosopher and professor emeritus at the University of Potsdam, about Berlin, Germany. Their conversation explores how atmosphere is shaped through historical events and monuments, political narratives, tourism, migration, and especially the ways a city’s past continues to shape how it is felt in the present.
30 Jun 2026
Trondheim: Dag Svanæs
In Episode 3 of atmospheres, Dr. Shusterman speaks with Dag Svanæs, professor of computer science at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a researcher in human-computer interaction design about Trondheim, Norway. Their conversation explores atmosphere through the themes of daylight, winter darkness, city tempo, student life, collective mood, rituals, and the environmental forces that shape how a place is experienced.
30 Jun 2026
Stockholm: Kristina Höök
In Episode 2 of atmospheres, Dr. Shusterman speaks with Kristina “Kia” Höök, professor of interaction design at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and a leader in somaesthetics design, about Stockholm, Sweden. Their conversation opens the city through seasons, darkness, candlelight, trust, social distance, and touch, showing how atmosphere can be shaped by climate, bodily boundaries, and the quiet design of everyday life.
30 Jun 2026
Introduction
In this opening episode of atmospheres, Dr. Shusterman’s conference remarks introduce the central question of the series: how do we experience atmosphere? Recorded in connection with the 2024 “Somaesthetics of Atmosphere” conference at Florida Atlantic University, the episode prepares listeners for a season of conversations and commentary on cities, spaces, environments, and lived situations.
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