Episode 10
Out of Jail
GUARDEA, ITALY, 2024: Evgeny joins Warren Brodey's 100th birthday celebration at his daughter Lisa's home in Umbria. We uncover the final days of the lab, the fates of Peter Oser and Avery Johnson, Warren's numerous defense mechanisms, and how he has—and hasn't—changed since the lab's demise.
episode timestamps
Peter Oser to Danièle Tulli, letter dated July 12, 1969. Written in French. Original with Danièle Tulli, who has kindly shared it with me. Quote slightly altered for oral delivery.
Peter Oser to Danièle Tulli, letter dated July 12, 1969. Written in French. Original with Danièle Tulli, who has kindly shared it with me. Quote slightly altered for oral delivery.
Peter Oser to Danièle Tulli, letter dated July 12, 1969. Written in French. Original with Danièle Tulli, who has kindly shared it with me. Quote slightly altered for oral delivery.
I found this letter in one of Warren's diary books. Peter Oser to Jane Brodey, letter dated July 15, 1969. Warren Brodey Archive. University of Vienna. (Book: April - July 1969). Quote slightly altered for oral delivery.
Note from Anita to her children, undated. Original in possession of Ramona Berent and Chris Pauling.
Diary entry dated January 22, 1970. Warren Brodey Archive. University of Vienna. (Book: Oct '69 - Apr '70). Quote slightly altered for oral delivery.
His name was Francisco Paesa. See his Wikipedia page for context here.
Avery Johnson to Christian Grote. Letter dated 11 August 1969. Original in Francette Cerulli's possession.
Diary entry dated March 12, 1970. Warren Brodey Archive. University of Vienna. (Book: Oct '69 - Apr '70). Quote slightly altered for oral delivery.
Staff of Innovation Magazine, eds. Creating an Action Team in R&D. New York: American Management Association, 1972, 68.
Avery Johnson to Christian Grote. 17 September 1970. Original in Francette Cerulli's possession.
Avery Johnson to Paul Ryan. 13 June 1973. Series 2, Box 2, Folder 39. Paul Ryan Papers, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Bateson Archives. Johnson to Bateson. Folder 728. Letter from Johnson to Bateson dated 19 September, 1973.
Bateson Archives. Johnson to Bateson. Folder 728. Letter from Johnson to Bateson dated 19 September, 1973
Bateson Archives. Johnson to Bateson. Folder 728. Letter from Johnson to Bateson dated 7 October, 1973
Warren Brodey to Judith Johnson, letter dated 17 February 1976. Original in Evgeny Morozov's possession.
Warren Brodey to Judith Johnson, letter dated 1 May 1979. Original in Evgeny Morozov's possession.
The patent can be downloaded here.
This book provides some excellent context to the rise and fall of chlorofluorocarbons like Freon: Cagin, Seth, and Philip Dray. Between Earth and Sky: How CFCs Changed Our World and Endangered the Ozone Layer. New York: Pantheon, 1993.
Johnson, Avery. “The ‘Party Line’ (An Experiment in Public-Access Ad Hoc Teleconferencing).” CoEvolution Quarterly, Winter 1982.
Parker, Andrea. “Johnson Challenges Milford with Libertarian Viewpoint.” Telegraph, n.d. Progressive Architecture. “The Shell Game: Filling the Shells of Old Buildings Scores Points for Architects.” June 1969.
Warren Brodey to Blair Hamilton. Letter dated 1 May 1973. File 7. Warren Brodey Archive. University of Vienna.
Warren Brodey to Joshua S. Horn. January 25, 1974. Warren Brodey Archive. University of Vienna.
"My trip to America." Handwritten memo by Warren Brodey, undated. Warren Brodey Archive. University of Vienna.
Peter Oser to Danièle Tulli, letter dated July 12, 1969. Written in French. Original with Danièle Tulli, who has kindly shared it with me. Quote slightly altered for oral delivery.
Staff of Innovation Magazine, eds. Creating an Action Team in R&D. New York: American Management Association, 1972, 68.
Warren Brodey to Evgeny Morozov, Apr 20, 2018. Email on file with Evgeny Morozov. Quote slightly altered for oral delivery.
"Warren Brodey—Interviews and Verite Video of Ecological Design, 1969-71". A copy is available in the Raindance Archive at the Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe.
This lecture wasn't delivered at Harvard, as I state in the podcast. The right citation for it is: Courtship, Marriage, and Grammar, presentation to the American Academy of Psychotherapists on 16 October 1965, Washington, D.C. A copy is available in the Library of the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, listed under "[Articles on psychology.]" here.
The audio clip of Brodey's lecture is available here: Brodey, Warren. RIT Cary Graphic Design Archives, Will Burtin Papers, Subseries H. Audio/Visual, c.1956-1969, Vision 67.
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Peter Oser in the late 1960s
Photo: courtesy of Bonnie Re