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Salwa and Selma Mikou are the founders of Paris-based Mikoü Architectures. Born in Fez, Morocco and educated in Paris, they have spent the last two decades reimagining the relationship between the built environment and the cultural landscape.
After honing their craft under two of the world’s most iconic architects, Jean Nouvel and Renzo Piano, they founded their own studio. For them, architecture is a living interaction with landscape and what they call the Atlas of Resonance, interpreting the hidden layers of a territory, geology, memory, and craft. It is a philosophy that rejects the generic, seeking instead to weave together technological innovation with local materials. Whether it is a mosque in the north of England or a hybrid innovation hub in a former royal manufactory, their work asks a fundamental question: How does space shape the way we think, learn and remember? They were selected by Rem Koolhaas to represent Morocco at the Venice Biennale. Most recently, they were commissioned by Hermès to create a 17,000-square-meter facility that bridges industrial performance with poetic expression. At the heart of their practice is a belief that architecture is not just about building—it’s about shaping relationships: between people, between past and future, between technology and craft.
(0:03) Architecture as a Living Transformation
(1:42) The Intuitive Knowledge of Living Art
(2:20) Preserving the Human Core of Expression
(3:14) The Medina and the Geometry of Childhood
(6:35) The Social Spaces of Rooftops
(8:27) The Twin Dynamic and Confrontation with 'l'autre'
(10:21) Contextual Echoes & Traces of the Site
(12:12) The Temples of Water
(13:15) The Mosque as Pure Spatiality
(15:49) Building Culture with Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Bergé
(16:57) The Wast ed-dar (وسط الدار) and the Heart of a Building
(18:31) The Smells and Sounds of Home
(19:44) Balance, Nature, and Sisterhood
Episode Website
www.creativeprocess.info/pod
Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

“Architecture should bring a true sensation of wellbeing. We were really lucky to experience that as children, and now as architects, we try to bring all that we learned into our practice.”
Salwa and Selma Mikou are the founders of Paris-based Mikoü Architectures. Born in Fez, Morocco and educated in Paris, they have spent the last two decades reimagining the relationship between the built environment and the cultural landscape.
After honing their craft under two of the world’s most iconic architects, Jean Nouvel and Renzo Piano, they founded their own studio. For them, architecture is a living interaction with landscape and what they call the Atlas of Resonance, interpreting the hidden layers of a territory, geology, memory, and craft. It is a philosophy that rejects the generic, seeking instead to weave together technological innovation with local materials. Whether it is a mosque in the north of England or a hybrid innovation hub in a former royal manufactory, their work asks a fundamental question: How does space shape the way we think, learn and remember?
They were selected by Rem Koolhaas to represent Morocco at the Venice Biennale. Most recently, they were commissioned by Hermès to create a 17,000-square-meter facility that bridges industrial performance with poetic expression. At the heart of their practice is a belief that architecture is not just about building—it’s about shaping relationships: between people, between past and future, between technology and craft.
(0:04) The Intuitive Knowledge of Living Art
(4:24) The Medina and the Geometry of Childhood
(8:18) The Social Spaces of Rooftops
(13:46) The Intuitive Knowledge of Living Art
(15:31) Contextual Echoes & Traces of the Site
(19:18) The Twin Dynamic and Confrontation with 'l'autre'
(26:42) The Temples of Water
(33:24) The Mosque as Pure Spatiality
(38:01) The Crisis Period and Structural Systems
(48:24) Building Culture with Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Bergé
(51:38) The Wast ed-dar (وسط الدار) and the Heart of a Building
(57:02) Preserving the Human Core of Expression
(1:04:29) Urban Acupuncture in the Modern City
(1:08:46) The Smells and Sounds of Home
(1:10:02) Balance, Nature, and Sisterhood
Episode Website
www.creativeprocess.info/pod
Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

Creativity is an infinite conversation. The impulse to speak and be heard is what keeps us tethered to each other and to the world. From the cinematic scores of Max Richter and Carter Burwell to the Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry of Jericho Brown, we examine the human imagination. Psychiatrist philosopher Iain McGilchrist and writers Ana Castillo, Andre Dubus III and Hala Alyan discuss the power of the unconscious and embracing imperfection. We listen to the hidden life of nature with painter April Gornik, photographer Ami Vitale and writer Aimee Nezhukumatathil. Curator Hans Ulrich Obrist, scientist Daisy Fancourt, biologist David George Haskell and philosopher C Thi Nguyen remind us of the art of living and human connection. Filmmakers Cherien Dabis and Albert Serra underscore that whether we are fighting for justice or simply seeking maximum fun, the process is the prize.
(0:00) Max Richter (Composer) (2:41) Andre Dubus III (Author, House of Sand and Fog) (3:36) Iain McGilchrist (Psychiatrist) (4:52) Ana Castillo (Author) (6:11) Albert Serra (Director, Pacifiction) (6:39) Daisy Fancourt (Author, Art Cure) (8:35) David George Haskell (Biologist) (9:49) C. Thi Nguyen (Philosopher) (11:14) Cherien Dabis (Director, All That’s Left of You) (13:27) Aimee Nezhukumatathil (Author, World of Wonders) (14:31) Ami Vitale (Photographer) (16:17) April Gornik (Artist) (20:12) Carter Burwell (Composer) (22:59) Hala Alyan (Author) (24:24) Jericho Brown (Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet) (27:11) Hans Ulrich Obrist (Artistic Director, Serpentine)
For more, listen to their full interviews
http://www.creativeprocess.info/interviews-featured/anth-richter

Can fiction help us make sense of an increasingly chaotic world? For Mark Greaney, writing international thrillers isn't just about explosive action—it's about untangling the messy realities of disinformation, institutional erosion, and AI-driven conflict. The author of The Gray Man series joins us to discuss his path to publishing, training alongside military operatives, and why the most terrifying threats in his novels are often pulled straight from today’s headlines.
Mark Greaney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and has spent his career exploring the technical and human complexities of the modern thriller. A student of international relations and political science, he has spent the last two decades at the intersection of deep-state espionage and the high-tech future of warfare. The Grey Man series is also a motion picture starring Ryan Gosling. Greaney was entrusted to carry forward the Jack Ryan universe created by the late Tom Clancy. To get the details right, Mark doesn’t just sit at a desk; his writing is built on a foundation of immersive experiential research. He’s traveled to dozens of countries, trained with SWAT teams, and even flown in Navy fighter jets.
His latest book, The Hard Line, brings his protagonist back to a landscape of old conflicts in Northern Ireland and forces him to confront a father he hasn't seen in twenty years. It’s a story about the blood we share and the blood we shed. It arrives at a moment when the boundaries of global conflict are being redrawn by AI, disinformation, and a shifting geopolitical order.
(0:00) The AI Arms Race
(0:53) Maladaptive Daydreaming in Childhood
(1:50) Following Your Passion
(4:39) Growing Up with a Newsman Father
(8:10) Collaborating with Tom Clancy
(11:05) Work Ethic and Enjoying the Process
(13:24) The Weight of Grief and Becoming an Adult
(16:18) The Reality of Consequences in Fiction
(18:01) The Evolution of Court Gentry
(22:02) An Unconventional Path to Writing
(26:33) Writing Through Physical Pain
(30:56) The Weaponization of AI in Warfare
(32:41) The Erosion of Truth and Bot Farms
(38:06) The Cold War vs Modern Political Polarization
(40:46) The Gray Man Film Adaptation
(42:56) Immersive Military and Weapons Research
(45:14) The Value of the Outsider Perspective
(46:31) Reading from The Hard Line
(50:42) Justifying Treason in Espionage
(54:40) The Climate Crisis and Erosion of Institutions
(57:51) The Media and Complexity
(1:00:55) Adapting Education for a Changing World
(1:05:49) Advice for Writers to Follow Your Passion
Episode Website
www.creativeprocess.info/pod
Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast

Mark Greaney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and has spent his career exploring the technical and human complexities of the modern thriller. A student of international relations and political science, he has spent the last two decades at the intersection of deep-state espionage and the high-tech future of warfare. He is the creator of the Gray Man series, a motion picture starring Ryan Gosling, and was entrusted to carry forward the Jack Ryan universe created by the late Tom Clancy. To get the details right, Mark doesn’t just sit at a desk; his writing is built on a foundation of immersive experiential research. He’s traveled to dozens of countries, trained with SWAT teams, and even flown in Navy fighter jets.
His latest book, The Hard Line, brings his protagonist back to a landscape of old conflicts in Northern Ireland and forces him to confront a father he hasn't seen in twenty years. It’s a story about the blood we share and the blood we shed. It arrives at a moment when the boundaries of global conflict are being redrawn by AI, disinformation, and a shifting geopolitical order.
(0:00) The AI Arms Race
(1:42) Maladaptive Daydreaming
(2:34) Following Your Passion
(3:05) Collaborating with Tom Clancy
(3:38) The Weight Of Grief
(6:03) The Reality Of Consequences
(7:26) The Value Of Outsider Perspective
(8:30) The Weaponization Of AI
(9:00) The Erosion Of Truth
(11:05) The Erosion Of Institutions
(13:14) The Media And Complexity
Episode Website
www.creativeprocess.info/pod
Instagram:@creativeprocesspodcast