Serpentine Galleries

Six illustrations for the Serpentine magazine Art+Idea’s interview 'Being Present in our Problems' with sociologist
Richard Sennet, considering ways in which we can counter the politics of individualism and isolation.

"The fantasy that we don't need to connect to others and are free autonomous agents does us a lot of harm.
We have to see social bonds as more important than personal revelations, and learn how to be collective."

"it’s really important that when people in both public service and private sectors go on strike when they’re abused. Whether they succeed or not, it’s a declaration that you’re not just complaining privately – you’re there, demonstrating collectively, and everyone can see that."

"We have to change the language we use and replace this idea of individual fulfilment with a
social language, about support and facing adversity together, so we can know we’re up against
forces larger than we can control together."

"Today, it’s often thought by neoliberals that we don’t really need to connect to others,
and that people are pretty much free autonomous agents. That’s a fantasy that does us a lot of harm."

"The short-term and contextless character of our communications gets in the way of people connecting.
The fragmentation of how we message and the way in which social media is organised has, at a fundamental level, removed
narrative – and without sustaining narratives, it’s very hard for people to communicate in any deep or complete way."

"Just painting the streets, the houses or the roofs white can significantly lower heat load in a neighbourhood or city.
This is relatively cheap and easy to do, so communities can organise themselves to achieve this. It won’t reverse the global trend,
but it at least makes people’s lives better and creates a feeling of agency which is missing from a lot of discussions about climate change as a global phenomenon. It is a way of being present in the problem"