The name is rooted in a fleeting digital artifact: a comment left on a YouTube video of a gorilla in its enclosure. As the captive animal exhibited some strange behavior, the crowd’s reaction was laughter. The comment captured the moment with clinical precision: “And the humans stood by, laughing.”
The words humans stood were extracted from this context, resonant with a meaning that transcends the physical act. It suggests not only a static observation, but also the state of having survived something — or perhaps having become obsolete. This act of standing by is predicated on a presumed separation. But the glass barrier serves a dual function, as we explored in The Irony of The Enclosure: what once was only a window, quickly becomes a mirror.
“Where does our mission stands in all of this?”
The Human experience is shrouded in fear, in limits which distort what lies beyond and the constant search for meaning. While this mess unfolds, one thing is certain: we stand — sometimes in action, but sometimes only as spectators, which isn’t necessarily bad. It is through observations and imagination that we associate, elaborate and, most importantly, evolve.
Our limits are not solid. Associations make us see the links that connect every element in our realities — be they physical or emotional, abstract or concrete. There would be no Humans without communication: Elaborations take our most precious machine and use it to make ourselves understand ourselves! Finally, HUMANSTOOD proposes a step towards evolution. The intersection between different matters is to be taken seriously as a means to solidify our knowledge and cultural impact.
Our identity is: the intersection of art and science.