Salon Conversations 1/3: Collaborations 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'

Hosted by the AAs new Interprofessional Studio (AAIS), 'Salon aims to restore the Front Members Room to its original function as a sanctuary of stimulating conversation and the pursuit of knowledge. The large table at the centre of the room forms a site of continual production with daily meetings, discussions and workshops, the outcome of which will form an ongoing, ever-increasing exhibition. Introduction to the 'Salon' led by Catharine Patha, Tanja Siems, Theo Lorenz. Brett Steele hosts a conversation between pairs of collaborators who discuss their joint projects as well as the joys and pitfalls of working together. Mike Weinstock introduces Maria Mingallon and Mohammed Makki, part of a team of AA EmTech students who collaborated with the AAIS to construct an inflatable theatre for the Theater. Haus Jena in Germany. Wolfgang Stuppy, seed morphologist for the Millenium Seed Bank Project at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, joins publisher Alexandra Papadakis to discuss their collaboration on a series of books that productively fuse elements of science and art.