Islamic Art

What is your general response to the exhibit as a whole? What is foreign about this kind of art? What is familiar?

I really love Islamic art. I studied Islamic culture and history quite a bit in high school, and I have always thought it to be very beautiful and fascinating. This exhibit held up to everything I expected. Everything was very beautiful, and of course, very precise and immaculate. I loved being able to see the deep and meaningful expressions of spirituality in the art. As far as being foreign is concerned, I think that there is obviously a huge difference between Islamic art and Western art, but there are more ways than one to interpret the word foreign. While the style and form may be somewhat different, the messages are the same. The archetypal nature of art, and in this case, religious art, is very profound, and is something that binds people across the world throughout history.

How is Islamic faith represented through this artwork? How is this different from how Christian faith is (often) represented through art?

I think that in traditional Christian art, there is a huge focus on the depiction of people, such as Jesus and the saints. Traditionally, a large part of the Christian view on art was that humans are inferior to the Divine, and thus, art should not attempt to replicate the divine nature of God. While the Christians took that thought and interpreted it to mean their art should demonstrate man's inferiority, the Muslim people decided to keep their art beautiful, but to remove any image of the human form, whether divine or mortal. I really like this sentiment in many ways, all though I do not agree that it would be sinful to ever replicate human form through art. Regardless, I find Islamic art to be very beautiful, and it amazes me to think of its complexity. I also admire their use of mathematics to form their artwork, and I admire their creative ways of expressing spirituality in art without depicting the human form.

What, if anything, do you learn about your own creative tendencies by examining this exhibit? In what ways can you be inspired by the work of these various artists?

As aforementioned, I really like the way Islamic art works around obstructions. While Christian art takes a more literal approach to depicting the divine (i.e. by simply painting Christ as a person, etc...) Islamic art portrays God through the abstract. Instead of just painting God, they paint these geometric forms which symbolize and prove God's omnipotence and power. One of my favorite movies is called The Five Obstructions, and the point of this documentary was that one director, Lars von Trier, got another director, Jorgen Leth, to remake Leth's short film The Perfect Human, 5 different times, each time with 5 different creative obstructions. Working around the obstructions forced Leth to come up with some really creative and powerful ways to carry our his ideas. With my own creative approach, I am learning to see obstacles and limitations as ways to better express and challenge my creativity. Often I think, the end result is much more effective and impressive because of the limitations. This is the same way I feel about Islamic art. It is all so beautiful and spiritually powerful, but all in different ways than the traditional methods of religious art.

Blog 6-Turek

I found the Islamic art exhibit at the MOA to be fascinating.  Due to the climate of the world we live in today, I feel like Islam often gets a negative connotation.  However, the more research I do, the more I realize that Muslims aren't that different from us.  Despite some religious views and actions that may seem strange to some, Muslims are a very devoted people.  In the end, giving glory to God is paramount, much like us Mormons.  This was all very visible in their art, which all seemed to have some connection to God or religious teachings.  I found the phrase "God is beautiful, and God loves beauty" to be particular fascinating, especially since it tied back to their view of beauty.  It was interesting to note how Islamic art is far different than a lot of Christian art, especially LDS art.  LDS art is generally pretty reserved and not too ornate (temples granted).  This is the polar opposite of Islamic art, which focuses almost entirely on vibrant colors and ornate calligraphy and stenciling.
I did, however, find it interesting how we can see influence of Islamic art in the world around us quite often.  To me, this was most apparent in the rugs on display at the museum.  It seems like a lot of the modern rugs we use in our houses now days seem to be at least influenced by these Islamic rugs.  Also, with these rugs and other art, especially ceramics, it was apparent that geometry is very important to Muslim art.  It is obvious that math is a key part of the Middle East, since the numbering system we use today is based off theirs from ancient times.  This being the case, math is also apparent in Islam, and especially in their art.  Much like the beauty mentioned earlier, the math, especially geometry, found in Islamic art is another tribute to God.  The perfection of math is meant to reflect the perfection of God.
Overall, I enjoyed the exhibit far more than I had anticipated.  The art truly was beautiful, and it was fascinating to see pieces that were  made hundreds of years ago.  It was truly inspiring to me.  I also loved the Islamic view on art.  Any talent in art we have should be attributed to God rather than simply ourselves.  That is a beautiful way to view art.

Blog 6 - Viewing and Creating by the Spirit

As I mentioned in class, this blog requires a field trip. Spend at least 45 minutes (do yourself a favor and spend much longer than that, if not this week, then some other time) at the new Islamic art exhibit at the MOA. Respond to the things that you see and read there by answering some or all of the following questions:

• What is your general response to the exhibit as a whole? What is foreign about this kind of art? What is familiar? 
• How is Islamic faith represented through this artwork? How is this different from how Christian faith is (often) represented through art? 
• What is the significance of geometry and pattern in Islamic art? How is this an expression of reverence? 
• What, if anything, do you learn about your own creative tendencies by examining this exhibit? In what ways can you be inspired by the work of these various artists? 

300-500 words. 

Cipp the iPod - 300 word story

There are some things in this world that mean more then just being a simple object in your pocket. My second iPod was no different. I got this iPod when I was a wee boy-when I was about 12 years old. I loved this mp3 player dearly. In a way it was like my creepy underage 12 year old wife considering it was always with me no matter where I went. It was something that was super important to me, and it was all up in my ears singing me beautiful music for 75% of my teenage years. Thus, Cipp was born (creepy iPod partner).

Cipp and I lived a happy life together, her and I. Our tastes in music were so similar that they were actually just the same. When I was happy, she made the day better. When I was sad, she was there with me to raise my spirits. And when I didn't need her, she would rest on my thigh and wait for the opportunity to be used once again.

But one day Cipp got sick. She began malfunctioning, having mental crashes and falling asleep at random times. I tried my best to keep her healthy, but there is only so much you can do as a now 16 year old boy for a dying friend. Cipp finally burned herself out three years after I became acquainted with her. I preserve her beautiful body today in glass casing. I gave her a face, which reminds me of her unique, strange, and "Me gusta all the things" personality. You will never be forgotten dear Cipp.

Mack Robins, Blog 5

I am glad that we brought up in class the 5 elements of recorded stories because I do believe that all these things are very important. Sound effects are what I thought of when we were trying to list them in class. I know that sound effects are so important because with no image it is basically the set where you are filming you movie. Rather than seeing a telephone, for example, you hear one. So the sound effects can tell you where you are as well as what is going one. I think of how a crackling fire could add so much to an interview that needs to feel very Sherlock-Holms-ie. Also another element that I believe is important is music. The music can do the same thing for sound recordings as it can for movies. Music is like the grease on the wheels, it helps the story move along. In movies music can create a sense of emotion, and it does the same thing for recordings. There are the other elements such and narrative and interview, which are obvious and good. But there is lastly the archival and existing material, which is important to me because I believe in history. I always think that it is really cool when a movie or radio program quotes a president of the past by playing the actual recording.

To be honest the main thing that I want to avoid is making my recording too long. I think that almost anything could be interesting as long as you could get out just the most important parts. If I do take a half hour interview and make it three minutes then I know I can find those things that the class and others will want to hear.

The sound recording that I picked is called “Wake Up and Dream.” I actually love this one. The music is so frightening at the beginning that I almost had to stop listening. Also, the sound effects make me want to look behind me. I love how the interview and the narrative overlap, it is done so well. I am so glad that I found it. Also it has such a good ending. If you are going to listen to this listen to the whole thing, it is only 17 minutes long. If you don’t listen to the whole thing I think that you will not be able to sleep.

"Wake Up and Dream"

Blog 5

I think an interesting audio story needs to paint a picture of sorts.  Since there is obviously no video to accompany audio story, I feel like the audio landscape of the audio stories need to help create one in the listeners mind.  In the podcasts we listened to in class, I found the most interesting to be those that created an atmosphere.  For example, those that had sound effects, such as cars honking for a cityscape or a slight breeze for nature.  I also found that the best podcasts had a very human element to them.  For me, I needed to hear interviews from people, real people, not some kind of staged, pre-written narration.  This helped me connect much better with the audio stories.  For me, stories that were strictly narration or ones that used music as a crutch seemed a bit tacky to me.

http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2011/nov/28/death-mask/

I really liked this podcast.  First of all, it was a very interesting story.  Like, who knew that this death mask became the mold for CPR dummies?!  It's just fascinating.  Not only that, the podcast was very well made.  I loved the playful banter between the DJs, because it gave the "human" aspect to the podcasts I mentioned.  It was also very interesting to hear the interview of the grandson of the man who had the death mask.  There were plenty of interviews and background sound effects that definitely immersed me in the podcast.  It definitely painted the visual landscape for me, as I mentioned.  I also think the creators' use of music in the film was very well implemented.  It didn't seem too over-the-top, it actually added to the experience.  It was also interesting to hear the DJs finish each others' sentences.  This podcast certainly kept my attention, and that is what I'd expect in a podcast.

Blog 5

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/457/what-i-did-for-love- wasn't able to listen to the whole thing since it was over an hour long, but I listens to enough to understand the point.

Before we had this discussion I really had not heard of audio documentary.  However, I find it to be really entertaining to listen and let my mind fill in the images that my imagination can create.  Through music, sound, and good questioning/interviewing I think that and audio recording can entertain someone just as much as most media entertainment.
It is very interesting to hear part of an audio documentary to critique it in a way to realize the different elements that make it so compelling.  In this audio recording there was a main narrator who did the interviews and asked certain questions that helped bring out the personality of the individual that was being interviewed.  Therefore I came to the conclusion that one of the key elements to a good audio documentary is good questions.  If the interviewer asks direct, interesting and clear questions than the audience can see how rounded some of those people are that have been interviewed.  It also helps to create suspense and drama throughout the recording that we typically can find on talk shows without the video image.  For example, in this audio recording it talked about what people have done to prove their love for people.  In one particular example in the audio recording it talks about a couple and their reasons for not getting married.  The couple had been together for years and had done everything that couples do in a marriage (except for have kids), but they still wouldn't get married.  The interviewer then asked them a very straight forward question to help bring out the personality of the man he was interviewing.  "why didn't you two get married" is what he asked and it was received then responded with the fact that the man wanted to get married, but the girl  wanted to sleep with other people first. Because of good questions we can see the personalities of certain individuals and better understand how rounded some people can be.  It also creates a sense of suspense which can draw any audience to listen in and be entertained.

Break-Up

I think something that makes a good audio story is a good voice. This might be a bit superficial, but it’s true. It doesn’t necessarily need to be deep, sexy, or soothing as long as it’s interesting and fits the mood of the story. I think, also, that audio stories should be visually descriptive, like in writing. The cool thing about audio stories, as opposed writing, is that you don’t have to use just words. You can use all sorts of sounds and music to accomplish this. As I start making audio documentaries, I hope to avoid a couple of things. The first is misuse of sounds. Aside from the artificial, inappropriate sound effects, I hope to also avoid annoying humming sounds and the like. I’d also like to keep from making a boring story. This is harder with an audio story (instead of a visual one) because the bore factor gets multiplied by ten if all you can hear is a voice.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/339/break-up

I like this story because of its personal, real-life nature. The beginning is good because the interview takes place in real time as they walk down the street. You can hear the car noises other people on the street (still without being distracting) and see the apartment building as she points and describes her break-up. I also like the back and forth cutting between the narration and interview. (On a side note, I was completely sucked in the moment the jazz music began in the background. I love Jazz.) On not a side note, the music is another element that makes the story interesting. I think it is good that the interviewer asks personal questions about the interviewee’s break-up. This makes the audio documentary much more personal for the listener as well. It brings in a deeper, emotional aspect to the story that makes it more interesting and relatable.

Guy Noir: Private Eye

"A dark night, in a city that knows how to keep its secrets..."

Garrison Keillor has been, for years, my modern day equivalent to Orson Wells' radio shows. Nearly every week for many years now, Garrison Keillor has performed in his show "A Prairie Home Companion." This becomes a radio composition that paints a very unique picture of characters and people -- both fictional and otherwise. One of his regular segments is about "Guy Noir," who is a sort of noir private eye detective. What has made Garrison Keillor such a long-standing tradition, in my opinion, is his combination of music and sound effects to create a radio play and an entire universe utilizing only sound. He has used elements that also regularly incorporate modern-day concepts and trends in a noir style, composed with wit.

Here's a link: Guy Noir

This particular clip, that was featured around New Year's Eve a few months ago. It covers a very clear story using unique combination of narration, sound effects, character vocalizations, as well as an entire atmosphere created using only sound. Garrison Keillor has become a master of his radio entertainment domain.

Cross-roads

Vlatia reached tremulously for the keys; destination secured, groping her pocket to make sure that they were all still there. Upon recognizing the familiar texture of the cross on the keychain, she counted each key individually all the while keeping her forward pace. Five keys. Just like the last three times she’s counted.

Vlatia knew better than to take them at this hour, but she just couldn’t help herself, seeking to discover with her unique in trepidation that which was just around the bend and down that back alleyway. That elusive alleyway. The road perpetually bathed in darkness. What did it hold? She had to know; but first, she had to get past the gate, over the fence and then…

“What are you doing out at this hour, Vlati?”

It was Jorgenson, a harmless old man with an accent that seemed to make his lounge twist in a way almost as unmanageable as the tangled and matted hair in his beard. A flask appeared from within his coat and a fast swig accompanied his one good eye focused on Vlatia.

“Evening, Jorgenson. I do believe I must be going…” she said with a tucked head and arms wrapped around her prize. She rehearsed her path once more “I must go past the gate using the silver key, surmounting the fence…”

“Now, now, that’s no way to treat such an old family friend!” he chuckled as he roped her in closer. Despite his age, Jorgenson had a large stature about him, accompanied with the strength evident of one who has worked as a farmhand for the majority of his waking life.

As Jorgenson pulled her in closer, the keys fell out of her hands and into the dimly lit street. Vlatia’s mind raced. She now had a witness to her crime.

The Elevator Wars

Mary was a man of few requests. She liked his coffee hot, she liked for her desk to be completely organized, and she insisted on riding the elevator alone. In her opinion, there were few moments in a person’s life where one could just ride in peace, enjoy the feeling of being lifted off the ground or plummeting towards it. The last way she wanted to enjoy it was by awkwardly standing with a stranger, or worse, an enemy for the ride.

Bob was her competitor at work. He frequently tried to get at her any way he could. If he got a hold of her coffee, he would drop an ice cube in it. If he found her desk unoccupied, he would turn all the papers crooked. If he saw that she was getting up to leave for the day, he would go to and try to ride the elevator with her.

One such day, he followed her to the elevator. The doors were about to close when he reached his hand in. Mary’s eyes narrowed. She knew who it was before she could even see Bob’s sniveling face.

“Are you going down?” Bob asked innocently.

“No.” Mary felt like growling.

“Well, the arrow says you are.” He went to get onto the elevator.

“I ride alone.”

“You want me to wait for you to go all the way down to the bottom and then for the elevator to come all the way back up?”

Mary smirked. “Yes.” She pushed the close doors button.

Bob stepped in anyways. Mary began pushing him our out of the elevator. She pushed him all the way back to the wall on the other side. Then, the doors closed and she heard a faint ding as it stopped on the floor below them. 

Charlene

Chuck was raised like the rest of us. But he didn’t turn out like the rest of us. We were neighbors. His father was a banker; his mother a homemaker. Back then, she was just like Joan Cleaver-- cleaning the house and cooking in a dress and pearls, always smiling. But when Chuck decided he also liked wearing dresses and pearls, things changed. See, Chuck idolized his mom, and did everything she did. His father refused to have a queer son. Maybe if he’d been around more, things would have turned out different. His mom couldn’t handle Chuck alone so she found an opiate escape. The Destroyer of Grief the ancients called it. Seems to me like it caused more grief than it ever destroyed. There’s certainly a lot of grief today. Enough to bring us all back here. I haven’t been home in 15 years. I feel guilty that it took something so tragic and ugly to bring me back. Chuck and I both left home at eighteen and never looked back. The city stole us. For me it was the money; for him, the acceptance, the like-minded. Chuck followed in his mother’s footsteps alright. He became her. The pearls and heels. The powder and pills. I would see him occasionally in the city and we’d have lunch, catch up, and talk about the good ol’ days. He never spoke of his parents, though. He went by Charlene then. I got used to it, that’s why it’s so weird to see him lying here today in a men’s suit and short hair. I assume his father thought that if he was buried as a man, he would be remembered as a man. He was dead and they were killing him all over again. Chuck died; Charlene was murdered.

Power to Change a Missionary

After listening to all of the audio documentaries, I really liked having music behind the first one. I know the first one was meant to be a 'bad' example, but I really appreciated the music. While the subject may have been a little boring and repetitive, I liked that it showed his talents and switched it up now and then. I also have a really hard listening to anyone who's going to monologue, particularly for a long period of time. I would like to find creative ways of telling the story of the person. For example, my roommate is extremely talented. She can play the piano really well, but her major is music therapy. She's using her music to help other people. I would love to get stories of how music can help, what she hopes to do, examples of her music. She also has an incredible personality so I hope to capture that by keeping the camera on, even when she may or may not be sure it is on, that way more of herself comes out.

http://broadcast2.lds.org/ldsradio/HistoryOfHymns/2009-07-0070-nearer-my-god-to-thee-64k-eng.mp3

The first time I heard an audio show, I was in the MTC. While I was there, they outlawed this, but my district would always go to the lds.org show and listen to the Mormon Channel. Now it has a website of its own. But my favorite one was this one. It goes through the history of the song, Nearer My God to Thee. It demonstrates its development with a lot of different renditions of it. While I loved hearing the evolving of this song, I really liked just hearing the different versions. My favorite one is at 28:08 by Vocal Point. I love it! I would get lost in the song and it would remind me of how close I could be God and inspired me to do better. Anyways, that was the first time that I realized how much joy I could find out of an audio program.

Interesting Audio Stories -- Ryan Adams

To me an interesting audio story needs to have much the same structure as any other story. It needs to have something to hook me at the beginning, it needs to progress, and it should have somewhere to go and it should end in a satisfying way. With an audio story such as a podcast you can cut out a lot of the dead space that might not be easy to edit in a video interview or story -- for one, because there shouldn't be dead air in a broadcast or the listener loses interest quickly, so that allows the editor or podcaster the chance to keep things interesting. It can sound smooth and seamless. I'm not much of a podcast listener but I will listen to something that has to do with things I'm interested in -- musicians I love or comedians I admire. Most other podcasts I see linked around are just noise. I don't really see them.

Click here to listen to Ryan Adams on World Cafe.

I loved this interview for a few reasons. I was already a Ryan fan so that's what drew me to click on it in the first place. I also loved the stories he told-- a look into his personal life and his personality that you can't really get just through playing his albums. I love his attempts to speak creatively and poetically in conversation because he is poetic but when he's just talking he sounds like a stoned teenager. The interviewer asks him interesting questions that prompt interesting stories and rants that sometimes don't even answer the question asked. (I love him describing his wrist break and the way they tried to fix it.) And lastly, I love the musical selections he plays. In some cases I think the performances he gives in this informal interview are better than the record he released which is enjoyable to hear as a fan. They're also rewarding tidbits that break up the interview into manageable pieces.

The Great Battle of the Beverages (300-word story)

There once was a kingdom which desired to have an official beverage with which to celebrate and make merry. Many choices were brought before the Council of the Kingdom, and many drinks were eliminated. Water? Too boring. Wine? Too expensive. At long last, the remaining drinks from which to choose were Milk and Coca-Cola.

For days the Council debated. Milk was plentiful and delicious, but nothing satisfies like the refreshing taste of an ice-cold Coke.

The debate went from the Council to the streets.

-Milk is gross! said one.
-Milk is healthy! said another.
-Coke contains harmful chemicals that can create dependency! said one.
-… So what! said another.

Thus a great rift began to divide the kingdom. Brother argued with brother. Father argued with son. Milk-drinkers were mocked. Coke-drinkers were mourned.

One morning in the square as the debate raged, a potter dropped a vase and it shattered on the cobblestone. A man panicked. -They’re attacking us! he shouted. He picked up his glass milk bottle and threw it into the crowd of Coke-drinkers.

With that spark, all took up their swords and civil war broke out in the kingdom. The milk-drinkers fashioned spears with tips made from broken milk bottles. Coke-drinkers made arrows with tips made from shards of Coke bottles. Milk-drinkers used milk pails as helmets, and rode to battle upon a thousand mighty cows. Coke-drinkers wore breastplates of bottle caps and rode upon a thousand fearsome polar bears.

For three days the battle raged. Thousands were lost. At long last, only two souls remained. Their swords, now stained red, swung feebly at each other. They collapsed from exhaustion and loss of blood. They looked upon the valley, strewn with bodies. One turned to the other.

-You know, I like water, really.
-Me too.
And they died.

Effective Audio Stories

Audio stories are just audible narratives, so in order to create an effective audio story one must simply employ traits of a successful narrative: exposition, inciting incident, rising action, crisis, climax, falling action, and resolution. Regardless of the medium, audiences desire to be entertained and drawn in by well-crafted narratives, and this is no different with audio stories. There are several ways to do this, but one of the most successful methods seems to be a semi-narration where live recordings are over dubbed with narration that explains the visual elements of the scene. For example, while an interview is being played back, a narrator will explain what the interviewee is doing or presenting so that the audience is not lost. This is effective because it allows you to use natural dialogue while still being able to inform your audience. Furthermore, ambient noise or Foley during narration further draws your audience into the scene you are creating. One thing that I have noticed that detracts from the mood is when audio with bad quality is used and is necessarily difficult to hear. Only good quality audio should be used so that the audience never has to struggle to understand what is being said.

The audio story I chose to analyze is from season four of Radio Lab. As I talked about above, the author does a very good job at perfectly meshing together interviews and narration into a coherent story that is easy to follow and comprehend. Furthermore, the author several times mentions the name of someone during his narration who immediately begins speaking, which serves as a very fluid and pleasing transition from narration to interview. Finally, the sound effects and ambient noise which accompanies the spoken word perfectly creates a mood for the listener. Indeed, without the background noise creating the mood, the story would be quite different and not nearly as enjoyable.

300 Word Story

It seems everything is made in China. Seriously, pick up any object and look at where it came from. Ten bucks says it reads, “Made in China.” But what does this mean? Is it necessarily a bad thing? A lot of political debate has been ongoing concerning whether or not our mass exportation of manufacturing to foreign countries including China is beneficial to our economy, as well as whether or not exporting manufacturing to foreign countries without labor laws is even ethical. In order to make an informed decision, however, we must get the facts straight.

So why do we even manufacture so many of our goods in China? Simply put, it’s because of money. Labor in China is much cheaper than it is in America or first-world European countries, so it makes sense from a business standpoint to manufacture goods there. And while some people argue that exporting manufacturing to foreign countries negatively impacts our economy, I and others will argue that this is not the case. Indeed the American manufacturing sector has been declining as it is being exported overseas, but simultaneously our information sector has been increasing as well; and in the current world economy, information is much more valuable then manufacturing. Thus, our economy is not necessarily being exported or deteriorating, but merely changing from one primary form to another.

This just leaves one matter to be decided: is it ethical? My opinion is that while we cannot dissuade foreign manufacturing based upon economic principles, we can indeed dissuade foreign manufacturing based upon ethical standards. In order to continue exporting manufacturing overseas, we must be much more politically active in persuading foreign governments to adopt universal labor laws. Only then can we be totally certain that our exportation of manufacturing overseas is totally without negative consequences.

Duh duh duh...

Interesting audio stories seem to possess a lot of the same elements that make for any sort of interesting story. I imagine the best audio stories show a change in one or more of the characters involved in the story. As part of that, I think an audio story that helps the audience learn something—large or small—about the human experience qualifies as interesting, even if the subject matter isn’t immediately appealing. Interesting audio stories are bound to focus on something specific which has enough personality to be entertaining, though…at least in my mind…

Moving forward, I want to avoid the pitfall of confusing listeners by not offering enough introduction to the material or to individuals in the segment. It seems like most of us get confused when something new is presented and developed without much introduction. I think the snippet we listened to in class about the radio swap ‘n’ shop show introduced the concepts and the main participants pretty well. These sorts of stories, about small-town, everyday sorts of things tend to resonate with me; I grew up most of my life in a small town with a unique history and lots of quirks, and I can connect well with stories and storytellers that convey their little brand of Americana.

I was really intrigued by this Radio Lab episode, entitled “Patient Zero.” The Radio Lab guys investigate the case of Typhoid Mary, who purportedly caused numerous outbreaks of typhoid fever in the Northwestern United States at the turn of the 20^th Century. They include two different experts in their investigation, as well as some dramatized readings of letters and (probably made-up) reenactments of dialogue and whatnot. It was really fascinating! They interweave narration, “interviews,” music, and dramatic noises to build up their story, first about Typhoid Mary and her quarantine, then about AIDS and the breakdown of the “Patient Zero” theory in light of AIDS history. The Radio Lab guys mix their narrations and the narrations of their guests in creative patterns, interspersing bits from several different people to form one chain of narration. It sounds like it might be confusing, but it really worked for me. Their dramatic music and sound effects built up suspense at just the right moments. And I think they introduced new narrators well. Pretty darn neat.

http://www.radiolab.org/2011/nov/14/