9 October 2016
Episode 45
30 minutes
Robert Bound talks to artist William Kentridge about the process of creation, the drawing as the starting point, the beauty of opera, the importance of peripheral vision and his home country, South Africa.
9 October 2016
Share episode
DownloadWant more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
The Big Interview - latest episodes
Platon
The award-winning photographer has turned his camera on political figures and global superstars, including the Obamas, Prince and Muammar Gaddafi. He sits down with Charlie Filmer-Court to discuss his life’s work and what…
Vitali Shkliarov
The Belarusian-American democratic activist and political strategist sits down with Christopher Cermak to discuss what it was like to work on Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaigns, his imprisonment in…
Poppy Northcutt
The women’s rights attorney and former Nasa engineer speaks to Emma Nelson about working on the male-dominated space programme in the 1960s, what it was like to help retrieve the Apollo 13 astronauts after their mid-flight…
Vikas Swarup
Vikas Swarup, the Indian author and former diplomat, tells Georgina Godwin about his postings across the world, pivoting to writing after a decades-long diplomatic career and his international best-selling book ‘Q&A’, which…
Shukria Barakzai
Georgina Godwin meets the Afghan politician, journalist and women’s rights activist to discuss the US’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban government and her criticisms of Western involvement in her country.
Katharine Hayhoe
Katharine Hayhoe, the Canadian atmospheric scientist, sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss the climate crisis and her new book ‘Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World’.
Jack Barsky
How did a young scientist in East Germany become a spy for the KGB, live a secret double life as an undercover agent in the US and, years later, get American citizenship? The former Soviet spook tells Andrew Mueller about…
Kristin Hersh
The US singer-songwriter sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss her musical career fronting alternative rock bands Throwing Muses and 50FootWave, her solo albums, and her new book ‘Seeing Sideways: A Memoir of Music and…
Kateryna Yushchenko
The former first lady of Ukraine sits down with Emma Nelson to discuss her upbringing in Chicago, her husband’s poisoning during his election campaign and what it was like to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Astronaut series: Naoko Yamazaki
The second Japanese woman in space talks to Georgina Godwin about the International Space Station’s robotic arm, adjusting to life back on Earth and what the war in Ukraine could mean for space exploration.
Astronaut series: Soyeon Yi
Soyeon Yi, South Korea’s first and only astronaut, speaks to Georgina Godwin about her trip to space, the view from the International Space Station and a complicated return to Earth in which she landed among nomads in…
Astronaut series: Susan Kilrain
The astronaut and engineer speaks with Andrew Mueller about working in space, her previous life as a fighter pilot and the toughest job she’s had: being a mother.
Astronaut series: Sian Proctor
Astronaut, geologist and science communicator Sian Proctor joins Andrew Mueller to discuss making space more accessible, overcoming setbacks and being the first African American woman to pilot a spacecraft.
Astronaut series: Nicole Stott
Veteran Nasa astronaut Nicole Stott sits down with Andrew Mueller to discuss her time on the International Space Station and what life in Earth’s orbit taught her about solving challenges on the planet.
Tony Leon
The politician and former South African ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay looks back on his career and shares the lessons he learned while working with Nelson Mandela.
