Without empathy, it would be very hard for any of us to live any type of productive life. In fact, we need it in order to collaborate and understand others. Right now in the world, there is said to be a dearth of compassion, they use the word polarisation. Some studies as discussed within this interview with Enni, show that empathy among college students in North America had declined 40% between the 1970s and the 2000s. Some of that is potentially attributed to an uptick in the use of technology and its detriment to connection.

What does it mean to show compassion or relate to someone else’s feelings? 

That forms the intellectual backdrop for Enni-Kukka Tuomala a new and talented Finnish artist/designer based out of London who has been causing quite a stir with her unique and unorthodox projects like the Empathy Echo Chamber and Forest Empathy. Her goal is to bring people closer together through spontaneity & discussion.   That was indeed the result here in this podcast, we crossed many terrains exploring the challenges we face in a polarised world, how consumerism plays on our empathy and of course that infamous 'be a cunt' game she has so wonderfully created.

Working all over the world, and with a range of tools. She has earned praise from many quarters for her unconventional approach. From reworking the interior environment of the Finnish parliament to creating challenging art spaces for us to interact with. We need to have a serious rethink about how we function in private and public spaces and the rules that we have embedded within them. It is clear, we need artists and practitioners like Enni to show us a new world where meaningful exchanges are encouraged.


To see more of Enni's work please check out her website.

"Forest Empathy" is currently on show at the London Design Museum online exhibition "Care".