BTV Episode Four - The Art of Connection

Louise Maxwell
Aug 22
2 min read

Updated: Nov 5

Victoria Durrer-Gasse, owner of La Galeria Elefante Ibiza, joins Louise to discuss community, collaboration, and supporting artisans worldwide through ethical fashion and design.

Set in an enchanted Ibiza forest, our creative shoot explores the power of connection to nurture and transform. Model sisters Priya and Isabella star in a stop-motion film by Petalita, with photography by Emile Durrer-Gasse.

Connection

We live in an age of hyper-connectivity. Thanks to digital technology, we can engage with an endless stream of people, information and resources from across the globe at the touch of a button. This constant connectivity has radically reshaped how we relate. Intricate networks of platforms, systems and devices keep us linked into an online environment that pulses, flickers and entices 24/7.

Yet time online can also leave us deeply disconnected. Amid an overwhelming flow of information and stimulation, many of us experience more stress, social isolation and loneliness than ever before. We scroll, swipe and stream — but we lose touch with the rhythm of our bodies, the people in the same room, and the flow of life in the here and now. We rely on digital tools to get us from A to B — literally and metaphorically — and we disengage from our inner sense of direction. Being constantly tethered to the non-stop stream of data on our devices disrupts the art of connection to our inner world. It often leaves us feeling fragmented, overloaded and adrift.

This paradox — that hyper-connectivity creates disconnection — invites the question: what is true, meaningful connection?

One of our most vital, primal impulses, connection is deeply wired into our biology. From the earliest age, the way we’re held — or not held — by others and our environment shapes who we are and how we understand the world. We depend on connection to survive, and to thrive.

As adults, these bonds remain essential to our wellbeing. People who are more socially connected to their families, friends and communities are proven to be mentally and physically healthier and live longer than those who are more isolated. Nurturing relationships bring meaning, joy and a sense of belonging to our lives.

Digital communities and relationships can nourish us in many ways. Yet they cannot fulfil all our needs — and in excess they can be highly unsettling. Connection isn’t about being constantly available and wired into the online world. At a fundamental level, we need to pause, switch off, and cultivate grounded, physical relationships with ourselves, our bodies, others, and the environment. This isn’t abstract – it’s not about knowing or thinking. True connection is a deep, embodied, sensory experience. It is feeling something alive within us, and sensing the relationship with something or someone else.

Only you can define what connection truly means. It begins within. Close your eyes, turn inwards and listen. Feel your breath, your heartbeat, and simply be. Connection is always present, always available. All you have to do is pause, feel, and allow it to find you.

Words: Nicola Corfield