Diversity and Unity – A Paradox in Human History
Diversity and Unity – A Paradox in Human History
Throughout human history, balancing diversity and unity has proven to be an extraordinary challenge, with only a handful of successful examples.
Most historical cases were built on a structure where rulers governed over a diverse populace, often centering around issues of religious freedom or racial and ethnic differences. However, in modern society, diversity has become more intricate, extending down to the level of individuals. It is no longer a matter of simple distinctions between “majority” and “minority”; instead, countless complex layers intertwine, strengthening individualism while also deepening fragmentation.
At the same time, unity has become increasingly difficult to achieve. People may unite under one theme but find themselves in conflict over another. The very notion of unity has become relative—its strength diluted and its meaning more complex than ever before.
--- TOWA ---
Against this backdrop, a new visual storytelling format, TOWA, was born. TOWA allows us to celebrate diversity while simultaneously experiencing unity.
Each of its countless cards holds a unique fragment of a story—no two are alike. Yet, every card can seamlessly connect with others along any of its four edges, forming what appears to be a single, continuous image. This infinite connection defies uniformity, embracing individuality while creating an ever-evolving, organic composition through rotation and rearrangement.
--- TOWA CITIES ---
In TOWA CITIES, the city series of TOWA, I have completed 12 cities (Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Munich, Paris, London, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Seoul). Each city is composed of 16 cards, and within a single city alone, the possible combinations reach an astonishing 1.37 quintillion! With 12 cities in total, the number of possible arrangements expands to an astronomical scale.
And yet, despite this infinite diversity, they all remain connected as a single, unified image. It is as if we are saying that, no matter where we stand on Earth, we all look up at the same blue sky.
TOWA is a format that brings to life an ideal that humanity has long pursued but never fully realized—one where diversity and unity coexist in a harmonious visual language.
hashtaginfinitestoryTOWA hashtagDiversityandUnity