Actual Human
Actual Human
Actual Human is a celebration of being living, breathing humans.
Of remembering who we were, and discovering who we are without our phones, without the internet, without the constant pull of technology. Before we became so lonely, distracted, disconnected.
Before everything had to be captured.
Before every moment was filtered through a screen.
Before attention was something constantly pulled away from us.
We get together without devices.
No phones. No recording. Just doing human things together.
We make things with our hands, play music, play games, read, write, and talk. Moments that exist only while they’re happening.
Core Mission
Create spaces where people engage directly, without mediation by devices or algorithms.
Build awareness of what it means to be human in the age of technology.
Certify works made entirely by humans — art, music, writing, film, performance.
Event ideas
Event Structure Options
Format 1: Unstructured Gatherings (3-6 Hours)
- Game tables
- Vinyl listening area
- Quiet areas for conversation
- Communal food & drink tables
- Optional: Closing ceremony, live acoustic performance, or community toast
Format 2: Guided Human-Centered Gatherings (3-6 Hours)
- Guided by an Actual Human host
- Opening intention and welcome
- Curated spaces:
- Games & analog play
- Vinyl lounge
- Quiet zone
- Commons food table
- Craft corner (optional)
- Games & analog play
- Closing reflection or performance
The purpose is not just “screen-free,” but a deliberate practice of disconnection and reconnection.
Actually Acoustic Music Festival
A music festival without amplification
A 1-day, entirely acoustic music festival with no electricity, no microphones, no amplifiers — just humans making music together.
Vision
- Multiple areas for different genres (folk, jazz, Indian classical, Western classical, bluegrass, choral, drum circles, etc.)
- Musicians freely move, join, and create.
- Starts mellow and intimate, builds toward large communal jams and drum circles into the evening.
Features
- Guilds & Camps: Genre-based gathering spots.
- Open Participation: Anyone can bring their instrument and join.
- Natural Acoustics: Designed for resonance in outdoor or natural spaces.
Flow
- Morning: Gentle solo performances and small ensembles.
- Afternoon: Genre-based areas open up, informal jams.
- Evening: Group jams, singing circles, and drum circles.
- Night: Closing collaborative performance.
Additional Elements
- Instrument repair tent.
- Food vendors or potluck.
- Rest and reflection spaces.
Actual Human Certified (AHC)
Give artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, and makers a way to signal that their work was made by a person.
A simple mark that says: this came from time, effort, risk, and craft.
Encourage audiences to notice and support that.
How It Works
Creators make a straightforward declaration that their work was made without AI generation.
Simplified Storytelling
The mark can appear on:
Books
Music
Videos
Games
Physical objects
Podcasts
Performances
It operates on trust.
Backed by community recognition, not enforcement.
The Primal Challenge
What: Renounce all human technology for one day.
Where: Jungles, forests, deserts, mountains, caves, beaches—anywhere in nature.
When: 24 hoursEncourage audiences to notice and support that.
The Challenge
Leave behind every human technology for 24 hours. Renounce language and clothing. Leave behind cell phones and sunglasses. No fire or tools. Survive with only bodies and senses.
No infrastructure. No roads. No food networks. No electricity. No internet. No modern medicine.
The Primal is not safe. It’s not comfortable. It’s 24 hours naked in the elements.
Why Do It?
Reconnect with our primal natures.
Confront what it means to simply exist without technology.
Gain a sharper appreciation for how our lives are shaped by our complex, global webs of modern infrastructure.
How It Works
At sunrise, leave everything behind. Walk into nature. Alone or with a small tribe.
- Communicate without words—use simple body language, gestures, or sounds.
- Survive using only what is around you.
- Renounce language, tools, and any other human-crafted technology.
- Gather food carefully. Do not get injured or killed. Avoid sunburn, dangerous animals, poisonous plants, and falling. Protect your feet.
During The Primal, we attempt to renounce all human technology—including thinking in our native languages. Clear your mind of language. Strive for pure, technology-free perception. For one day, practice deliberate, rebellious detachment from our cyborg perception of our bodies and societies.
Underlying Theme
Actual Human is not about rejecting technology. It is about intention — knowing when to be fully human and present, and when to wisely use the tools we’ve built.
Actual Human Celebrates
Creation over consumption.
Craft over automation.
Presence over distraction.
Community over isolation.