thenextwave

Testing, testing. First video transmission. "There is only today."

(Best with sound on.)

@duaneking cast this quote by David Bowie, which I've quote cast here, and unlocked a forgotten memory for me.

I once visited an exhibit of Bowie's personal archive in 2018 at the Brooklyn Museum. I searched my camera roll for photos from the exhibit. But I was so engrossed I only took three photos:

1. A page of my journal that day where I scribbled down a recording of David Bowie speaking aloud. I'll get back to this in a moment.

2. Young Bowie eating the world like an apple.

3. Cherry blossoms on that late spring day in New York. Funny how I remembered visiting the exhibit in July, until I checked the date.

4. Bonus: Not from my camera roll, but from a preview of the exhibit I found online. In the 1970s, Bowie used this word cut-up technique as “a tool of writing to promote a new perspective.” These lyrics are for his song “Blackout” from the album “Heroes.”

I'd been happily offline for years when I began looking for a virtual residence for /thenextwave. I landed like an alien here and decided to stay on planet Farcaster simply because, whenever I scrolled, I'd come away with new ideas and new energy.

The casts from you all appear daily in various arrangements. Cut-up words. Fragments of our collective consciousness - the good, the bad, the ugly - arranged and presented. Together they "feed" my mind.

All words plant seeds in us. Sometimes they grow quickly and obviously. Other times they grow so slowly we forget about them, which is the case for me in this instance.

Now, back to photo 1. I told you I'd get back to this. Imagine my surprise reading this text and recognizing this small seed. It was written with such urgency you may not be able to read my handwriting, so:

WE NOW HAVE A YOUNG GENERATION WHO ARE HAVING TO SURF THE CHAOS, SCANNING THEIR WAY THROUGH EVENTS AND IMAGES, READING LIFE FROM ITS SURFACE.

THERE SEEMS TO BE NO TIME TO DEVELOP DEPTH. HISTORY IS NOW AN ILLUSION. THEREFORE THEORETICALLY A FUTURE NO LONGER EXISTS. THERE IS ONLY TODAY.

This is my experiment by the ocean, in Bowie's words.

Another transmission, in another format, is coming soon. Thank you for reading, and remembering, and surfing the next wave with me.

Building a little space at /thenextwave and watching everything on /videolab.

Inspired by:

https://farcaster.xyz/patriciaxlee.eth/0x8e0c55b6