They're one of humankind's oldest companions, and they have influenced our culture, language and even fashion. Yet, they have also caused some of the most devastating pandemics in the history of humans.
Join us as we explore the riveting, raucous, complicated and itchy story of our relationship with the flea.


Contributors: 
Dr Maureen Williams, parasitologist, Trinity College Dublin.
Manchán Magan, travel write and broadcaster.
Jay Ryan of Pignut Productions.


Produced by Colette Kinsella for Red Hare Media.
Production assistance by Regan Hutchins.
Artwork by Greg Dwyer.
With thanks to Una for sharing her itchy story.

FLEA

This week Zoë Comyns is guided by the keyword Windows.

The Lockdown has seen many people turn to their windows as the only way of viewing the outside world, communicating with a loved one or sending messages of hope and thanks to healthcare workers and to people who are following the COVID guidelines.

And then, there’s just the slight thrill of looking into people’s windows to see how they live their lives.

We peer into the world of the radio producer and sound artist Rachel Ní Chuinn in a short audio essay written for Keywords. It features recordings at home with her daughter Fán and is about observing and gaining a sense of the world without - be it through the eyes of a small child or through the lens of a camera.

Poet Emily S. Cooper finds a slide projector in a charity shop and sets it up in her home. She finds her father’s old photo slides and goes back in time. Family stories come to life in front of her eyes.

Art critic and writer Cristín Leach has written a piece for Keywords about a set of navigational instruments that her grandfather - a keen sailor - kept in a beautiful wooden box which Cristín still possesses. This leads to reflections on the power of objects to evoke memory. ‘’I want to open the window that is the navigational display case and listen to the sound of the sea, the noise of the knowledge, the breath of my ancestors, the panting, sigh, huff and sob – of the journey.’’

Poet Amanda Bell is curious about the nature of birds and is trying to encourage the migrating birds to nest in the eaves of her house. She observes the movements of the birds through her windows. ‘’This is how we live now; through planes of plexiglass, visors, goggles.’’

In Alison Martin's story two people in a neighbour spark up a relationship through flashing torch lights at each other from their windows. 
 
Musician Conan Wynne and radio producer Tracy Tough weave music, sounds and conversations around a recording of one man who spent years in solitary confinement in prison. A world with no windows.

06. Windows

Keywords

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