Dust №21

The term ‘Epitome’ stems from the Greek epitemnein, which means ‘to cut short’. First used in 1520, originally meaning ‘summary’, the term has later come to describe someone or something that represents the ideal characteristics of an entire class—a perfect example of something, an embodiment of an abstraction. The reason ‘Epitome’ was chosen as a title for this issue, is that the term sheds light on how we cope with our identity in the digital age—in a context where social media has transformed communication into permanent public performances, ‘epitome’ describes the process of becoming a reduced idea, an embodiment of a type, an idea, an aspiration, or a social-political point of view based on simplicity and digestibility. A fast digestible and desirable ‘epitome’ is likely to generate virality. Willingly or not, we succumb and conform to this mindset—a feature that these platforms enhance by design. The broader topic of concern we want to address here is how social media platforms, that rely heavily on engagement-driven architectures, have come to harm our societies by directly increasing polarisation in public opinion and politics. The second reason is that while the magazine is entering its second decade, his creators took time to look back at their journey and reflect on its defining characteristics. This issue developed as a summary of what DUST has been through the years. Contributors: Beat Bolliger, Jack Bridgland, Tati Cotliar, Ellie Grace Cumming, Edem Dossou, Roe Ethridge, Exactitudes, Tim Gutt, Shona Heath, Luigi and Iango, Grant James-Thomas, Ilya Lipkin, Brett Lloyd, Gary David Moore, Kito Muñoz, Mauricio Nardi, Michael Philouze, Olivier Rizzo, Thomas Rousset, Daniel Sannwald, Reto Schmid, Casper Sejersen, Victoria Sekrier, Ellie Uyttenbroek, Willy Vanderperre, Ari Versluis, Natacha Vorange Words: Lisa Ambjörn, Paolo Fiore Angelini, Andrea Batilla, Gisele Bündchen, Patrizia Calefato, Giuseppe Garrera, Fabio Cherstich, Alessio De’Navasques, Michele Fossi, Chris Govier, Philip Alexandre Livchitz, Walt Odets, Clara Tosi Pamphili, Cesare Pietroiusti, Stefano Pilati, Masha Reva, Jad Salafiti, The Valente Brothers