Blueprint For Living - Separate stories

Grand tours for the aristocracy in centuries gone by were filled with art and architecture to fulfil the senses.But what would such a tour look like today if only places created in the 20th and 21st centuries  were on the itinerary?Richard Weller is a landscape architect who has pondered this question in his latest book, To the ends of the earth- a grand tour for the 21st Century. This interview first aired in July 2024.

From the velocipede in the early 1800s to its more modern incarnation, featuring tubular metal frames, wire-spoked wheels, pneumatic tyres, and gears, design writer and critic Colin Bisset gives us a potted history of the development of the bicycle.This interview first aired in March 2024.

The city of Paris is about to enact an ambitious new climate Plan and at its heart is a commitment to building a cyclist friendly urban centre.This interview first aired in March 2024.

Colin Bisset takes us on a tour of the some of the world's greatest commemorative monuments.From London's Albert Memorial to Berlin's November Revolution Monument, they speak of a desire to immortalise and elevate a particular viewpoint of history.This interview first aired in June 2024.

Chef Jamie Oliver selects the last meal he would have on this earth- his mum's roast dinner.Surrounded by friends and family, he believes a Sunday roast would be the best final meal, with all the trimmings.This interview first aired in June 2024.

What role has the colour black played in mourning fashions since the time of Queen Victoria?Dr Lorinda Cramer is a fashion historian at Deakin University. She charts the changing cultural meanings associated with this darkest of hues.This interview first aired in June 2024.

Can cemeteries be a boon for the living as well as a place for the dearly departed?Tania Davidge, Executive Director of Open House Melbourne, believes so. She argues that cemeteries can provide much needed open space in our crowded cities to be enjoyed across the generations.This interview first aired in June 2024.

Colin Bisset turns his attention to that iconic fashion item, the T-shirt.This segment first aired in May 2019.

Angela Riechers, author of 'The elements of visual grammar: A designer's guide for writers, scholars and professionals', discusses the history of Neutraface and explains how and why this typeface became so ubiquitous.This interview first aired in May 2024.

Exposed brick, smashed avocado, hanging edison bulbs, the patina of industry and reclaimed wood furniture – this is what writer and critic, Kyle Chayka rails against in his book 'Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture'.This interview first aired in May 2024.

Professor of architecture and host of Grand Designs Australia and Grand Designs Transformations Anthony Burke discusses our obsessions with home renovations and what it reveals about us.This interview first aired in May 2024.

Lennox Hastie, the acclaimed chef celebrated for his mastery of wood-fired cooking, has a distinct preference when it comes to envisioning his last meal on earth.Known for his Sydney restaurant Firedoor, Hastie would choose a perfectly grilled whole fish, complemented with a side of fresh, seasonal vegetables.This interview first aired in May 2024.

Shalamar Lane is a Los Angeles-based pitmaster renowned for her innovative approach to American barbecue.She comes from a long line of pitmasters in Alabama and Texas and is the creative force behind the popular restaurant My Father's Barbecue.This interview first aired in May 2024.

Niklas Ekstedt is a celebrated Swedish chef known for his pioneering approach to cooking over open fire.He gained international acclaim through his Stockholm-based restaurant, Ekstedt, where he showcases his expertise in reviving ancient culinary techniques to create exquisite dishes - all without the use of gas or electricity.This interview first aired in May 2024.

Design writer Colin Bisset guides us through the evolution of modern cooking technology, from François de Cuvilliés's 1735 Castrol oven, to the contemporary convenience of the air fryer.This interview first aired in May 2024.

Colin Bisset turns his attention to the mysterious design history of the birth bath.This segment first aired in August 2021.

Annie Smithers takes Jonathan through jointing and roasting a duck and the culinary art of duck stock, duck sausage, and the prized duck fat.This interview first aired in June 2024.

Bruce Pascoe and Lyn Harwood discuss traditional agriculture, observing the seasons, and how they find strength in Country at their farm 'Yumburra'. This interview first aired in June 2024.

Mary-Jane Walker is an evolutionary scientist and artist based in Geelong, Victoria.She is working in 'paper taxidermy' to create more than 80 birds which are under threat in her Now You See Us art project.This interview first aired in July 2024.

Jonathan catches up with Annie Smithers for one last time to chat about what they have shared over the years- and ponder how Annie would like to mark her Last Supper.

Historian Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre explores the colonial legacy of wine her book, Imperial Wine: How the British Empire Made Wine's New World.This interview first aired in January 2023.

Curt Beech, the Emmy-nominated production designer on the hit show Only Murders in the Building, shares the real history of the Belnord apartment building in Upper West Side Manhattan which the show's fictional Arconia building is inspired by.This interview first aired in August 2022.

Dr Daniel Reynolds, senior lecturer in Byzantine history from the University of Birmingham, explores why tourists are so obsessed with Ancient Greece and Rome and what the implications are for other heritage sites.This interview first aired in June 2024.This interview first aired in June 2024.

Colin Bisset explores the design history and architectural power of the tower.

Food writer Bee Wilson reflects on how cooking helped her manage grief, loss and dislocation after her marriage broke down, and what she learned from the experience.This interview first aired in January 2024.

Architect and author Joseph Clarke explores the evolving relationship between architecture and acoustics in his book Echo's Chambers: Architecture and The Idea of Acoustic Space.This Interview first aired in October 2022.

Gamilaraay man and former ABC Top 5 Arts residential scholar Beau de Belle visits the house of his mentor and friend, the revered architect Richard Leplastrier.This interview first aired in May 2021.

For many, the word wilderness conjures up images of pristine, wild landscapes untouched by humans.But increasingly, the term is being recast. Professor Michael-Shawn Fletcher discusses the origins of wilderness and why it needs a rethink.This interview first aired in July 2023.

Den Barber is a Wiradjuri man who runs the Indigenous cultural consultancy Yarrabin Cultural Connections and is the founding director of Koori Country Firesticks Aboriginal Corporation. He shares his experiences in fire management from elders past and present and reflects on how this can inform the protection of our towns and cities into the future.This interview first aired in January 2022.

Ross Dobson is a former recipe tester and food writer who has delved into the archives to uncover some of the forgotten recipes of the past in his book 'The Lost Recipes'.

Author and journalist Christopher Beanland takes us on a world tour of some of the great 20th and 21st Century railway stations in his new book 'Station' and explores why their architecture holds such appeal.

Author and journalist Sandra Lawrence has been intrigued by beautiful secret spaces since she read 'The Secret Garden as a child'. Now her love affair with this imaginary world has taken her on a real life quest to uncover other lost spaces. Her new book is 'The Lost Gardens of the World'.

Fashion illustrator Angie Réhe gives us a crash course in fashion illustration and explains why it will never go out of style.

Sarah Ichioka is a strategist, urbanist and the founding director of Desire Lines, a Singapore based consultancy.She recently she gave the key note address at Melbourne University at the Climate Action in Cities symposium where she explored the challenges facing urban designers in the face of climate change. 

In the final in our series, Annie Smithers explores the meat chapter in the Elizabeth David classic French Provincial Cooking.

Lucy Van is an Australian poet and an honorary fellow at the University of Melbourne who has studied the history of real estate language in Australia.How has it evolved and what does it say about us?

Ben Shewry shares his secrets for a perfect pasta Bolognese, a dish he would choose as his last on earth.

In the final of his home comfort series, Colin Bisset explores the evolution of the outdoor space.

Anna Puigjaner, co-founder of Barcelona based architecture studio MAIO, argues it is time western cultures re-examine kitchen design, and look to other cultures for lessons in the beauty and benefits of communal ways of cooking.

We wander through the National Herbarium of Victoria with Alison Vaughan, Manager of the Collections. Treasures include an exquisite watercolour that shows details of a closely related seaweed by Dr Tilesius von Tilenau, a 19th century German naturalist.

David Mabberley renowned botanist, educator and author of Citrus a world history reveals insights about our cultural evolution through the orange or lemon and other members of the citrus family.

From Vespas, to Olivetti typewriters, coffee machines to beautiful but curious or impractical furniture of the Radical movement, we take an eclectic wander through the Heide Museum of Modern Art with Kendrah Morgan, co-curator of Molto Bello: Icons of Modern Italian Design.

Liam Shaw, Wellcome-funded research fellow at the MacLean Lab in Oxford, delves into the incredible science of forensic palynology where the analysis of pollen is used as evidence.This interview was first broadcast in November 2023.

Colin Bisset explores how comfort has been defined and enjoyed in the bedroom over time.

The halal snack pack, the capricciosa pizza, the milk bar and the meat pie are all icons of the Australian food landscape and yet none are embraced in the way Americans celebrate the bodega or the cheese slice. Besha Rodell, chief restaurant critic for The Age and Good Weekend, reflects on the complexity of Australian cuisine and why it resists easy definition.This interview was first broadcast in November 2023.

Annie Smithers leafs through the pages of Elizabeth David's French Provincial Cooking. This time it is the chapter on fish, and how to cook it in the best French style, that is explored.

What role has the advent of air conditioning had in socially and racially dividing our world? Hsuan Hsu is a professor of English at the University of California. His book 'Air Conditioning' explores the ethics and implications of this cooling technology.

For Brendan Liew and Caryn Ng one of the joys of travelling in Japan is visiting local Konbini, convenience stores which delight with the quality of food on offer.The have explored this passion in a new book 'Konbini-cult recipes, stories and adventures from Japan's iconic convenience stores'.

What should the role of the architect be in an ever changing world?David Gianotten is an architect and managing partner of OMA, Office for Metropolitan Architecture. He was a recent speaker at Sydney Design Week discussing the changing responsibilities of the profession.

Jess Pryles was born and bred in Australia but now calls Austin, Texas home where she revels in her love of meat and barbecuing the American way.

Colin Bisset delves into the design of the sitting room in the latest instalment of his series on the evolution of comfort in the home.