PIN–UP 31, RADICAL OPTIMISM‽: LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

“What is radical optimism? A state of mind or survival tactic? We’re on the heels of what feels like the end of a pandemic, but also at the end of certainty — in media, politics, the environment, and the order of the world in general. But what is this the beginning of? We bet on collaboration, new networks of exchange, and new ways of effective storytelling — finding the pulse across genres, societies, and continents. But what, at the beginning of the 21st century, is there to be optimistic about? In any creative field, optimism is key to getting the project done — doing the work — to evolve from concept to production. Yet many compelling visions and innovations from the past 100 years — politically and/or aesthetically — were made by those benefiting from structural and systemic advantages. The world we stand in now is built from tools, niceties, and preconceptions that are no longer applicable in the same way. On the eve of the metaverse, we’re trying to conceptualize a new material reality from the bones of an existing one. Is it good vibes only from here on out? Or a toxic tech prison of cheerfulness? This issue, conceived in New York and put together in Paris, walks the tightrope between the past and the future, a generational shift in action. To get to where we want to be we need to hold the doors open for each other, and sometimes rip the thing off its hinges. Radical Optimism is both a statement and a question. We have a lot to lose and so much to gain. But we won’t get anywhere unless we choose to go together.”

— Felix Burrichter and Emmanuel Olunkwa, Founder and Editor