In an age where digital saturation often distances us from ourselves and each other, the Notes to Humanity project poses a deceptively simple, yet urgent, question: “What does it mean to preserve your humanity in the Digital Age?”
Powered by Life Calling, an organization that envisions a world of profound human connection, Notes to Humanity was created to address the global disconnection crisis. In an era marked by increasing disconnection and polarization, Notes To Humanity serves as a living testament to our shared commitment to preserve and nurture the essence of what makes us human.
In June of 2025, Soze brought Notes to Humanity to the 2025 London Design Biennale as part of the select curation of exhibits promoting international collaboration and installations that demonstrate the ambition to create universal solutions to problems which concern us all.
Our objectives at LDB were to collect at least 500 notes from a global audience about the disconnection crisis.
The London Design Biennale takes place at the historic Somerset House, and each group was given a room in this building to produce their installation.
Soze produced the Notes to Humanity pavilion at the London Design Biennale as both a contemplative sanctuary and a global stage for dialogue. Laddering up to Life Calling’s four pillars of connection to self, others, imagination and nature - all of which are essential to solving the global disconnection crisis - Notes To Humanity invited people to reflect on and express their individual responsibility in safeguarding our collective humanity by handwriting a note responding to the question, “What does it mean to preserve your humanity in the digital age?”
The pavilion’s design, including the materials, spatial flow, and facilitation style were tailored to fit the international, design-savvy audience, while uplifting the campaign’s visual identity and emotional resonance. Visitors were welcomed into a warm, minimal environment with natural textures, comfortable seating, and soft acoustics, inviting a sense of ease and calm to reflect on the central question prompt.
Finally, our team had just six weeks to produce this exhibition (due to a last minute invitation), while other pavilions had upwards of two years to prepare. But we knew the opportunity to bring Notes to Humanity to the London Design Biennale was too exciting an opportunity to pass up.
The Notes To Humanity London installation received contributions from visitors representing a diverse demographic from over 70 countries around the world. We gathered over 2,000 notes – far more than the 500 we had initially estimated.
The publication LivingEtc described the atmosphere in a way we hoped others would experience it, “[it] feels like stepping into an ethereal library, dotted with beautiful green Banker's lamps, pale wood furniture, and thriving vegetation that infiltrates each corner of the room — from patches of musk to lush ficuses and ferns.”
The installation showed that a single question can foster profound reflection and dialogue in any cultural context. We are reminded that space is not neutral; when it is used for good, it can provide opportunities for all of us to learn from each other. One note, emotionally demonstrates this,
“my 32 year old son died suddenly on the 15th February we’ll probably never know why or how. I don’t know where he is but I know that he’s been somehow in me since his birth and will remain within me until my last breath. Our shared love of nature, curiosity & imagination was boundless. Thank you for this unexpected moment to be. If only I could now use a digital means to let him know I’m here, with him. I can’t text, message or phone. But I can write. I sent him on his way with a letter. Here’s another from a mother to her son.”
