Currents #3: Things that change and things that stay the same
This month, Fatima Kamaté, Business Support Officer at the Tavistock Institute and lover of all things creative, picked three new Currents for our monthly moodboard.
How much are we all on autopilot and what would it take to be more conscious of our days and our links to those around us?
You might be wondering what 42nd and Vanderbilt is. It’s a photography project by Peter Funch that carries a timeless message. The project features a busy New York corner between the two streets - 42nd and Vanderbilt.
It took nine years to complete. Standing at the same corner in New York, Funch photographed commuters on the move. When he sorted the images, he found something interesting: the exact same people, years apart. They had somewhat the same outfits they had, even as long as nine years ago.
What struck me most is how the gestures and demeanour remain practically perfectly the same across nearly a decade.
It made me think about how much of life we navigate on autopilot. What gestures and habits do we carry, and how much does the world we live in, one that prizes speed above almost everything, contribute to that?
I keep thinking: if someone photographed you in your street corner, what would nine years reveal?
Image: Ansaf Ahmad
Most of us have been the jealous one at some point. But how many of us would say so publicly?
I remember watching a video where a girl talked about the jealousy she felt towards a friend. She was being honest, vulnerable. She talked about the kind of thing most of us have felt, but rarely said out loud.
In her comments section, you could see that a large group of people had clearly decided she was a bad person.
I noticed that on social media, it seems easier to perform moral superiority than to engage honestly with the uncomfortable parts of being human, like experiencing negative emotions that often seem shameful.
Nobody makes mistakes. Everyone is an angel, and everyone else is the problem. Inside the world of social media, people tend to forget that humans are complex, and that falling short of your best does not equal evilness.
“We judge ourselves on our intentions and other people on their actions,” writes Hannah Glen on Substack in her piece Moral Superiority Will Make You a Bad Person.
Image: Roberta Sant Anna 2026
Substack link: Moral Superiority Will Make You a Bad Person
Something I keep hearing a lot from different generations, in different contexts, is a longing for community.
We used to go outside, play with friends, talk, and share space without a second thought. Now I hear people ask: what does the new generation have instead?
The answer might be more hopeful than we think.
Community-led events are quietly on the rise. We are seeing free running clubs open to anyone, community-swap fairs, and pop-up spaces built around sharing rather than selling.
Social media, often blamed for isolating us, is being repurposed to bring us together. Recently, a girl in New York invited strangers online to sit with her in a park; over 20 people showed up with food, and a DJ played for free. In London, another creator hosted a free park DJ set, inviting anyone to enjoy the sun.
It’s incredibly refreshing. We are just finding new ways to build connection.
Image: Akanda Kilicarslan