The Labyrinth Project

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Exploring the Maze of Nature in Los Angeles.The Labyrinth Project explores the diverse and surprising ways in which Los Angeles is full of different natures--- a veritable trophic cascade of the absurd and surprising. Wetlands, lawns, rats, cats, coyotes, mountain lions interact with human affect, state power, indigenous politics, aesthetic pleasure, local governmental power and much more. It is a collaborative research project at UCLA, based in the Institute for Society and Genetics, and in collaboration with the Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies, and using a mix of participant-observation, structured interviewing, collaborative urban anthropology, historical and archival digging, ecological observation, and analysis of social media content. Does this maze have a monster? Did you bring thread? Read more at https://labyrinth.garden/

The Labyrinth Project at UCLA

Los Angeles, CA, USA


    • May 2, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 32m AVG DURATION
    • 9 EPISODES
    • 2 SEASONS


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    Latest episodes from The Labyrinth Project

    Hopelessly devoted: a cat detective story

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 23:18


    Feral cats are everywhere in Los Angeles — in a bush on a hill along the freeway, darting through shelves of an autoglass repair shop, and crouched under storage units.  In this episode, Hana Almony and Cassidy Castro follow the threads of the TNR world and discover the quiet network that holds it all together. It's a community built on early mornings, late nights, and an extraordinary kind of care. And once you're in, it's hard to walk away.The Labyrinth Project is a research project at UCLA, housed in the Institute for Society and Genetics, and partially funded by the National Science Foundation. https://labyrinth.garden/ for more details

    The LA River, a fish story

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 35:09


    Can you fish the LA river?  UCLA undergrads Sami Ryan, Nico Le and Jae Hun Hwang find out in this episode about LA's storied river. They learn about native and invasive fish and plants, the plight of the steelhead salmon, the good and bad parts of the river, and  they ask: what is the ideal LA River like?  It's a question much easier to ask than to answer.  But they do catch some fish.The Labyrinth Project is a research project at UCLA, housed in the Institute for Society and Genetics, and partially funded by the National Science Foundation. https://labyrinth.garden/ for more details

    The Los Angeles Animal Airlift

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2025 41:12


    Listen to the untold story of the Los Angeles Animal Airlift.  It is a story about helicopters and overpasses, a story about compassion and fear, a story about deciding to live with animals, or letting them decide whether to live with us.  The Labyrinth Project is a research project at UCLA, housed in the Institute for Society and Genetics, and partially funded by the National Science Foundation. https://labyrinth.garden/ for more details

    Also, Satan

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2022 53:11


    In this episode, Christopher Kelty explores the rather surprising background to the No Kill Movement in LA.Part of the UCLA Labyrinth Research Project, more at https://labyrinth.garden/

    How to See Coyotes

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2022 25:04


    Everybody in Los Angeles has a coyote story, but nobody can quite agree on what seeing a coyote in the city means. What do coyotes mean by the things they do? In this episode Chase Niesner explores how what we see in coyotes is a matter of what they see in us.

    The Responsibility of Feral Cats

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 27:55


    The maze has brought you to a cat's cradle story of responsibility and moral failure. Listen as Niaz Sassounian takes us on a whirlwind tour of the feral cat controversy in Los Angeles. Part of the UCLA Labyrinth Research Project, more at https://labyrinth.garden/

    Coyotes in the Cloud

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2022 37:54


    You just saw a coyote on the street in front of your apartment.  What should you think?  In this episode, Coyotes in the Cloud, Spencer Robins asks whether you actually saw that coyote or whether maybe you've followed a ghost into another political storm in Los Angeles.  Part of the UCLA Labyrinth Research Project, more at https://labyrinth.garden/

    Unsustainable

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2022 20:31


    Are you doing your part to save the planet today?  Surely you've thought about it.  All around you there are signs urging you to recycle, to save water, to use less energy.  In this episode, Emma Horton asks why we feel so bad for not doing our part, and whether it's healthy to keep trying. Part of the UCLA Labyrinth Research Project, more at https://labyrinth.garden/

    The Lion and the Rat

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 27, 2022 27:50


    In this episode, produced by Christopher Kelty, we ask, “what can you live with” in Los Angeles?  It's a simple question without any good answers.  It's a deeply cultural question, about why we love some animals and hate others, and how that never works out well. Part of the UCLA Labyrinth Research Project, more at https://labyrinth.garden/

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