Limbo+Hatch, a London-based trend and talent incubator, was born out of the idea that creatives use their digital mediums to interrogate, cultivate and reform the physical world. Through Limbo, we Hatch. Creatives are building euphoric digital ecosystems where we can live fluidly and reclaim our freedom to agency and expression. This can be seen through emerging trends in virtually augmented filters, CGI avatars, supernatural beauty and fragmented surveillance. By viewing the world through the lens of emerging talent, we discover trends in the creative community which reflect broader societal pivots in technology and the forces that merge them. With an increased tension between digital and physical, we aim to examine virtual identity shifts and how creatives across mediums improve our shared futures. The E-MERGE Issue The responses we received from a 10-month research study of global emerging talent led us toward a movement accelerated by the pandemic but already well underway; the merging of physical and digital. A place in time we affectionately call the E-MERGE Age. With isolation suddenly redefining our interactions and identities, the dutifully-digital tools we previously thought little about became our lifelines. Our love languages. Our creative armour. Our virtual homes. Interconnected and disconnected. A pivot that forced artists to shift, at times begrudgingly, towards digital realms; impacting their crafts, mindsets, attitudes and behaviours at an unprecedented rate. A rate that at times outpaced the real world. The E-MERGE Issue is a visual survey to key questions of identity and creation between IRL and URL. Featuring E-MERGING talent such as Doora News, Harriet Davey and Masha Batsii as well as industry experts including TRASHYMUSE and Trend Atelier. @limboandhatch
