THE DEATH OF MONOCULTURE | HOW WE CONNECT | 31 AUGUST 2025 | PARIS, FRANCE
I’m a big believer in the value of beauty. How our surroundings instill in us the desire to coexist harmoniously. But beautifully or not, the connection in the first place is a fundamental necessity, and I fear that it’s being eroded at an astounding pace.
It’s making me concerned for the collective ‘us’. Less attendance of social & cultural events in general, in addition to the deluge of consumable art at a violent pace, entertainment and content, continuously more algorithmically targeted to the individual, separating us onto our own islands, with gradually less to connect over. Once upon a time we’d unite over monumental events; album releases, concert tours, universally impactful films, binding us together as a society through both serious, and trivial pieces alike. But with so much to choose from, tailored to our individual digital identities without our knowledge, are we all drifting apart? And what is the consequence of this drift?
In two weeks I’ll see Fred Again perform in Rome, Italy. One of the artists I can distinctly point to who is creating something that feels culturally inclusive and warm, inviting us into his global living room and reminding his audience of our humanity and connection. Those signature intimate voice-notes, presented with the grandeur they deserve as moments where the human heart shows, are almost a conceptually parallel to the placement of spiritual motifs in the context of a renaissance church. Honoring what deserves to be honored via context. And as for my own work, while I may not have a voice big enough to participate in any moment of monoculture, I can still reevaluate why I create anything at all; and choose to share an authentic human experience, hopefully igniting something beautiful in another human being.
