Operating individually or as a collective denotes two different approaches to decision-making and behaviour. The former runs on personal perspectives and choices, while the latter aligns with those of a people. Being and functioning together can provide safety and a shared purpose. When en masse, we achieve more efficiently by harnessing sundry resources for amplified impact.

Conversely, creative isolation routinely enables greater personal freedom. Many crave solitude to ideate and create, seeking a niche with blinkers on. What does this contrast tell us? In this week's issue we dive into stories, en masse: Our conversation with filmmaker Hansal Mehta divulges his knack for treating spaces with dignity and emoting through several cultures and identities:

a way of filmmaking with 'ordinary' masses. We reflect on Ingrid Orman's curation of Tschabalala Self's show 'Around the Way' at EMMA, its title a reference to the Black American colloquialism for an individual who somehow embodies the neighbourhood from which they come. Seeking seclusion, the House in Nishizaki conveys a narrative of restraint as a geometric mass of concrete cut off from its densely populated context. We also contemplate whether Bjarke Ingels Group's Freedom Plaza is bringing real change to New York's mass housing landscape.

What does this variance reveal of our pursuit of personal authenticity and the influence of togetherness?