Zeitgeist

Parallel to making objects I also analyse the ever-changing zeitgeist. The zeitgeist, or in other words the way most people think and act today, is the context from which I work. It is like my background or canvas to paint on, the pond in which we all swim. I will post the most crucial parts of this analysis on this page regularly.

29-9-2022 The gamblers society

“We live in a time when the second button on google, the most widely used search engine in the West, is “I’m feeling lucky”. It is not only a search engine but also a gambling machine. We live in a time when online gambling is being legalised in more and more countries, while all social media platforms are already running on gambling algorithms (but with no age limit). We live in a time when addiction is just around the corner for everyone. We live in a time when we can no longer be identified as consumers but as gamblers. Bey bey consumerism, hello gamblerism.” (Bas van Raay)

9-9-2022 Imbalance

“We now live in a time where most people give more than they receive in return. This is a fundamental systemic imbalance. It sounds straightforward, but it is crucial to better understand what drives most people to think and act as they do these days. Whether it is the data that people give away for free or the online privacy that is increasingly disappearing. I often imagine the world as a large factory in which people log in to their social media at any time and then start working for nothing for the large data companies. In addition, it is not only the online world, it is also the ever-increasing devaluation of money that fulls this systemic imbalance.” (Bas van Raay)