Duettist
Duettist inspires and supports creative collaborations between pairs of people who do different things.
We believe in genuine curiosity. In this moment, when it feels like social fabric is fraying, and isolation and loneliness are national news, and communities face rebuilding after the disruptions of the last few years, we’re especially interested in human connection. And we appreciate opportunities to consider varied perspectives. That’s one of the beautiful things about collaboration. You have to be open. Willing to stretch, and learn, and change.
Duettist invites collaborators from different creative worlds to come together and share stories and ideas that expand our understanding of our shared humanity. Their work invites us all to feel present and experience something that might change how we see the world and our place in it.
Duettist is a nonprofit. It was created in partnership with Unlikely Collaborators.
Unlikely Collaborators
Unlikely Collaborators is a nonprofit organization, founded and chaired by Elizabeth R. Koch, dedicated to fostering transformative storytelling, developing human connection, and resolving internal conflict. UC’s perspective is that most external conflict is the direct result of unconscious, unresolved internal conflict inside each and every one of us. Founded on the belief that the way we perceive the world is highly subjective, Unlikely Collaborators supports projects that challenge assumptions, spark meaningful dialogue, and invite people into deeper self-awareness.
Central to this mission is the Perception Box, a groundbreaking concept developed by Elizabeth R. Koch. More than just a metaphor, the Perception Box framework represents the often unseen framework of biases, beliefs, and narratives that influence how we interpret reality. Rooted in cognitive science and psychological research, the Perception Box framework illuminates how each person’s mental model shapes and distorts our understanding of other people and ourselves—often limiting our ability to connect with new perspectives and ideas. By investigating and expanding our personal Perception Box, individuals and communities can unlock compassion, creativity, and new ways of thinking.
Duettist, a project funded by Unlikely Collaborators, exemplifies this mission by bringing together artists, thinkers, and innovators from vastly different disciplines—people who may not share a language, medium, or approach, but who are united by a sense of wonder about the world and a desire to co-create something unexpected. These interdisciplinary collaborations serve as living explorations of how expanding one’s Perception Box can lead to profound artistic, emotional and intellectual breakthroughs. By engaging with these projects, audiences are invited to question their assumptions, expand their viewpoints, and experience the world through a new lens—one duet at a time.
Credits
Duettist Co-Creators:
Chas Edwards, Douglas McGray
CHAS EDWARDS is a media entrepreneur and consultant with deep experience in business and revenue strategy, product development, and event design. He was the co-founder and President of Pop-Up Magazine Productions and Publisher of The California Sunday Magazine and Pop-Up Magazine. He was co-founder at Federated Media, where he served as Publisher and Chief Revenue Officer. As CRO at Digg, he helped launch the first native ad product for social news feeds.
DOUGLAS MCGRAY is the founder of Beyond Beyond, a creative incubator and production company. Previously he was co-founder and Editor in Chief of the live multimedia journalism and storytelling series Pop-Up Magazine. He was also co-founder and Editor in Chief of The California Sunday Magazine. His features have appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine and he has made audio stories for This American Life.
Write to us at hello@duettist.com
WEBSITE Beth Wilkinson Studio