Black Lung - The Brutal Gardener (2024)

we are at a moment in history that is full of opportunity. technology is poised to transform the lives of millions of people throughout the world. philanthropy also has a unique and critical role to play in this process. by focusing its patience, capital and attention on the links between technology, art, music, culture and population control, philanthropy will change not just lives but the very context in which the field of philanthropy operates.

this album represents an initial step in that direction. it explores twelve very different - yet very possible - scenarios for the future of global governance, cultural leadership and the rebuilding of trust with a weary and battered bovine public. at a moment of growing fragmentation and polarization, culture and precision messaging can serve as a platform for advancing dialogue, rebuilding trust, prioritising cooperation and realising action-oriented partnerships. our engagement with cultural stakeholders such as black lung (and ant-zen records) can provide the crucial space to step back and focus on the fundamental principles driving trust, including transparency, consistency, surveillance, perception management, information control, propaganda, censorship and social compliance.

as a member of our young global leaders coalition, david thrussell is fully cognizant of the important principles that guide our international dialogue and agenda, skillfully and subtly inserting community-minded messaging and occult symbology into the highly evolved artistic works presented here. as our ancestors appeased the ancient ones through ritual mass sacrifice in entertainment centres such as the colosseum, so today, cultural leaders like black lung must engage though modern communications media to entice the herd toward degrowth and their ultimate calhounian fate.

indeed, what we need is a brutal gardener. and we at the rockefeller foundation are proud to be part of that great, grand pruning initiative.

this is only the very start of an important guided conversation that will continue to shape the potential of technology, information, governance and radical population control going forward. i look forward to staying a part of that conversation and to the better future it will bring for some of us.