Es Devlin and Ekow Eshun on Belonging, Otherness and Identity | The BoF Podcast

World-renowned stage designer Es Devlin and writer Ekow Eshun explore how confronting personal biases and grappling with ‘otherness’ can fundamentally alter our understanding of self and community. In an intimate conversation at BoF VOICES 2024, world-renowned stage designer Es Devlin and writer and cultural curator Ekow Eshun discuss the transformative potential of human connection. Emerging from a desire to confront her own biases, Devlin’s “Congregation” project invited 50 Londoners from immigrant backgrounds to be drawn and displayed inside St. Mary le Strand church in London. Eshun’s new book, “The Strangers”, likewise interrogates racial identity and belonging through the stories of five Black men spanning centuries and continents. “I'm not the same person at all,” says Devlin, reflecting on her experience. “I'm a bit more raw as a consequence of writing [The Strangers] because … you have to open yourself up to pain and fraughtness,” adds Eshun. Devlin and Eshun investigate how “otherness” shapes our sense of belonging and argue that true understanding requires a radical willingness to open ourselves to one another — and, in the process, rediscover parts of ourselves. Subscribe to BoF’s YouTube channel to never miss a video. Look out for more VOICES videos coming soon, bringing you the best of our annual global gathering for big thinkers. CONNECT WITH THE BUSINESS OF FASHION: Web: https://www.businessoffashion.com Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BoF Facebo