David Byrne's online mag, Reasons to Be Cheerful, has just announced a new project in advance of the upcoming election.
The multimedia editorial project, We Are Not Divided, is described as a six-week collaborative journalistic exploration of "our capacity to overcome division." It will tell the stories of places and institutions from all over the world that are succeeding in overcoming division. For it, they're bringing together dozens of written features (from outlets such as The Guardian, The Marshall Project, The Tyee, Next City, Freakonomics, Solutions Journalism Network, and more) alongside infographics and other multimedia elements, including a collection of original hand-drawn illustrations from David himself (view a few examples below). In essence, it hopes to highlight the human tendency to connect through the infusion of public dialogue, including stories about statue demolition, unconventional refugee housing, the friendship between a conservative postal worker and a gay IT manager (in relation to Ireland's gay marriage law), abortion, and so much more.
The project will also feature a weeklong video series titled "Bridging Divides," hosted by storyteller and artist Scott Shigeoka, in which interviews with real life-people who have had experience with this process will be conducted.
Says David, "This series is hopeful at a time when that is in short supply. I realize the title might come as a shock. Not divided? Are you kidding me? What world are you living in? I am more than a little aware of what's happening, but the truth is there is evidence that we can find ways to come together — I have to believe that or I would sink into despair. Luckily, there are people and initiatives out there that we can look to for inspiration, and boy do we need it."
We Are Not Divided launches today, September 17, and will run through November 2, election day.
Meanwhile, David's frequent collaborator Brian Eno is releasing a brand new collection of music from his stints in music and television scoring, titled Film Music 1976-2020. The collection, spanning over five decades, will feature classic Eno compositions, lesser-known gems, and even seven previously unreleased tracks.
A few inclusions are "Prophecy Theme" from David Lynch's Dune, "From the Beginning" from Dario Argento's Opera, "Force Marker" and "Late Evening in Jersey" from Michael Mann's Heat, "Deep Blue Day" from Danny Boyle's Trainspotting, and many others. You can preorder the collection here and listen to "Ship in a Bottle" from Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones view the entire tracklist below.
FILM MUSIC 1976 - 2020 TRACKLIST
1. ‘Top Boy (Theme)’ from ‘Top Boy’ - Series 1, directed by Yann Demange, 2011 2. ‘Ship In A Bottle’ from ‘The Lovely Bones’, directed by Peter Jackson, 2009 3. ‘Blood Red’ from ‘Francis Bacon’s Arena’, directed by Adam Low, 2005 4. Under’ from ‘Cool World’, directed by Ralph Bakshi, 1992 5. ‘Decline And Fall’ from ‘O Nome da Morte’, directed by Henrique Goldman, 2017 6. ‘Prophecy Theme’ from ‘Dune’, directed by David Lynch, 1984 7. ‘Reasonable Question’ from ‘We Are As Gods’, directed by David Alvarado / Jason Sussberg, 2020 8. ‘Late Evening In Jersey’ from ‘Heat’, directed by Michael Mann, 1995 9. ‘Beach Sequence’ from ‘Beyond The Clouds’, directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, 1995 10. ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water’ from ‘Married to the Mob’, directed by Jonathan Demme, 1988 11. ‘Deep Blue Day’ from ‘Trainspotting’, directed by Danny Boyle, 1996 12. ‘The Sombre’ from ‘Top Boy’ - Series 2, directed by Jonathan van Tulleken, 2013 13. ‘Dover Beach’ from ‘Jubilee’, directed by Derek Jarman, 1978 14. ‘Design as Reduction’ from ‘Rams’, directed by Gary Hustwit, 2018 15. ‘Undersea Steps’ from ‘Hammerhead’, directed by George Chan, 2004 16. ‘Final Sunset’ from ‘Sebastiane’, directed by Derek Jarman, 1976 17. ‘An Ending (Ascent)’, from ‘For All Mankind’, directed by Al Reinert, 1989
