Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything is a touring exhibition featuring a collection of new work commissioned from and created by local and international artists inspired by Leonard Cohen’s style and recurring themes. The exhibition was first shown at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) and is the first to be devoted to Cohen’s imagination and legacy. Join host Richard Burnett in conversation about Leonard Cohen. pop music, contemporary art and literature with journalist Norman Ravvin, writer Alexandra Pleshoyano, curator Dominic Molon and academic and writer Chantal Ringuet. Each of the guests on the podcast participated in the twelfth Max and Iris Stern International Symposium, a gathering of cultural historians and museum professionals who presented the latest research on the life and work of this seminal artist at Concordia, in partnership with the MAC. For Cohen fans, old and new.

Maker culture is a form of DIY culture that encourages individuals to create their — mostly technology-based — inventions. Tinkering, 3D printing, community-building and more - are you a maker? This episode features a talk by Ann-Louise Davidson (Concordia University Research Chair in Maker Culture), followed by a conversation with journalist Aphrodite Salas. Recorded at in Montreal in collaboration with TOL.

Digital disruption, new and old tech, and the things that hold our attention - excerpts from a conversation between William Gibson (author) and Fenwick McKelvey (Professor, Communications & internet researcher), moderated by journalist Erin Anderssen (). Freshly cut from the TOL 2015 TOL live events series in Montreal.

Leonard Cohen’s art washing, Darth Vader and the Iraq war, eBay collecting as a form of artistic research and the deep intercultural understandings that people reach when they cook and eat together. We can only be talking about the multisensory art practice of Jewish Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz. Recorded at Studio C as part of the Faculty of Fine Arts Wild Talks series, featuring Michael Rakowitz, Tammer El-Sheikh (Professor, Studio Arts), Sanaz Sohrabi (PhD student), and David Howes, (Professor of anthropology and Director of the Centre for Sensory Studies). Their conversation refers to Rakowitz’s work as part of the Leonard Cohen exhibition at the Musee d’Art Contemporain (MAC) in Montreal.

The Alternative is an international party based in Denmark with a focus on creating a new political culture - mixing art, culture, engagement and politics in a new way. And in a first, they are the political party in residence at Concordia University’s Faculty of Fine Arts in Montreal. They are working with students on a year-long project about how the arts can influence political decision making. In this episode Uffe Elbæk (leader of The Alternative), Indra Adnan (The Alternative – UK) and Rebecca Duclos (Dean, Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University) talk about politics, the arts, soft power and remaking political culture. Recorded at Studio C in Montreal.

What is our digital future? AI, gaming, storytelling, a changed workforce and learning environment? In this episode, we explore how the digital revolution is transforming our lives. This is the first of two best of episodes featuring excerpts from the President’s Conference Series on Digital Futures held at Concordia University – the series featured thought leaders on the digital revolution touching on workforce, learning and much more. What is your digital future? Featuring: Marie Josée Lamothe (Managing Director, Google Canada – Quebec); Michelle d’Auray (Ambassador and Canadian Representative to the OECD); Félix Lajeunesse, (Co-founder, Félix & Paul Studios); Francis Baillet (Vice-President Corporate Affairs Ubisoft).

In this second episode devoted to talks on our digital futures, we explore how to make technology work for us. We ask about our roles and responsibilities when we engage with it and how to leverage artificial intelligence to serve our needs, and not the other way around. Three renowned experts help us unpack these questions and also help us break down what is actually meant by AI. Featuring: Shannon Vallor (Professor of Philisophy, Santa Clara University in California); Yoshua Bengio (Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms and Professor of Computer Science at l' Université de Montreal); Safiya Noble (Assistant Professor, Annenberg School of Communications, University of Southern California).

The film Swift Current tells the story of former NHL hockey player Sheldon Kennedy who was sexually abused by his junior hockey coach. This conversation between Sheldon Kennedy and Sandi Curtis (professor of Music Therapy) took place following a screening of Swift Current in Montreal. Child abuse, prevention, advocacy and the public health implications - this conversation is moderated by journalist Elysia Bryan-Baynes.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is much more than checking behaviours - anxiety, doubt, and the confidence you have in your own memory all play a role. OCD is often called the doubting disease but it really isn't about doubt - new research suggests memory is key to understanding OCD. This episode is about anxiety, doubt, memory and the latest on OCD. Featuring excerpts from a talk by Adam Radomsky (Professor, Psychology and Research Chair in Anxiety and Related Disorders) and a conversation with journalist Aphrodite Salas. Recorded at in collaboration with TOL.

Digital currencies – overhyped confusion or promising future? How do blockchain and the dark web intersect (in a soon to be major film)? This episode features a talk by voting systems and cryptocurrency expert Jeremy Clark (professor, Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering), followed by a conversation with journalist Sudha Krishnan. Recorded at in Montreal in collaboration with TOL.

Irish drag performer and gay rights activist Panti Bliss first made headlines for calling out media personalities for being homophobic. Emer O’Toole, assistant professor in the School of Canadian Irish Studies, has brought Bliss to Concordia to speak about the experience – during one of the visits this conversation was recorded in front of a live Thinking Out Loud audience. They talk about drag, gender performance and how what we wear can reflect much more than personal style and fashion. Moderated by Erin Anderssen.