Digital Humans: Thriving in an Online World

12Turn It On

From a little spark may burst a flame.

Dante Alighieri (1320)

This chapter is about the power of stories to build movements. Stories sit at the heart of the history of our species in the way we make decisions and how we engage our tribes in the digital realm. We also recommend options for communication and engagement with virtual communities.

The Gates of Paradise

In 1401 in Florence, a competition was announced. The Arte di Calimala (the wool merchants’ guild), one of the wealthiest in the city, invited local artists to compete for the commission of the Florence Baptistery's eastern doors. Having been ravaged by the plague, like most of Europe, the city was finally ready for a new beginning.

Seven artists participated in the competition. Every artist had to design and submit a trial piece, a quatrefoil panel depicting the binding of Isaac using a small amount of bronze. The competition was narrowed down to Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi, their work being judged the most impressive by far. The committee suggested that they work together on the doors. Brunelleschi refused, leaving Ghiberti as the outright winner.

Ghiberti's bronze doors (Radke 2007) comprise 28 panels, with 20 panels depicting the story of the life of Christ as described in the New Testament. It took 21 years to complete. In 1425, Ghiberti was subsequently commissioned to design a second pair of bronze doors for the Baptistery containing 10 stories, this time from the Old Testament. ...