Vowi – Connecting the Cultures
(VOWI CI work – @leviwilliamdejong )
Vowi is a social and cultural experiment in the form of a business and a philosophy in itself. Centered around our mission, “Connecting the Cultures,” we aim to promote connections between various cultural expressions and foster cultural discourse. This vision is realized through the integration, separation, and deconstruction of diverse creative expressions. We seek to explore the organic connections between cultural elements, fostering a virtuous cycle where cultural experimentation challenges traditional norms and reconstructs collective Habitus for meaningful cultural transformation.
Our ultimate journey is a pursuit of humanity, a path to understanding what humanity truly means.
The First Meaning: Connecting Cultural Expressions
Culture is not static; it is a dynamic collective of individual habitus, evolving through connection, integration, fragmentation, and deconstruction. At Vowi, we view creative fields such as art, design, architecture, music, film, and literature, philosophy as interconnected rather than isolated disciplines. Through deconstructing and recombining cultural elements, we seek to create new possibilities for cultural dialogues that challenge traditional boundaries and foster a transformation of Habitus. Vowi aspires to be a catalyst for cultural innovation.
The Second Meaning: Bridging Cultures and People
At Vowi, we recognize that Habitus is not only shaped by creative disciplines but also by human interactions and shared experiences. We are committed to creating an inclusive space where people from diverse backgrounds can engage with culture in meaningful ways. By redefining Habitus through participation, we encourage empathy, curiosity, and a more profound understanding of cultural expressions.
Our mission is to connect cultures based on philosophy, raise awareness of the organic relationships between cultures, and foster discussions about their interconnectedness. We believe that culture is not defined by isolated disciplines but by the deep connections between various forms of creative expression.
VOWI community – User list
1-1 , 1-2 , 1-3
Our Vision: Redefining Cultural Habitus
At Vowi, we envision a platform that transcends the traditional boundaries of art, music, photography, architecture, cinema, design, literature , philosophy, and other cultural fields. Rather than treating these disciplines as isolated perspectives, we highlight their organic connections, embracing integration, separation, and deconstruction concepts exemplified by artistic movements such as Secession, Dadaism, and Cubism. By fostering interactions between these diverse fields, we aim to cultivate a dynamic cultural ecosystem that continuously evolves and reshapes itself.
However, the concept of Vowi is not defined by its operators alone it is shaped by the habitus of its users. Each Vowi user brings a unique perspective to the platform, meaning that different interpretations of Vowi are not only possible but also valid. This plurality of perspectives aligns with our mission to move beyond the limitations of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital, seeking a more fluid and participatory cultural experience.
This vision represents the first milestone we have designed a step toward redefining cultural habitus through user driven engagement, fostering a space where cultural capital is not only accumulated but actively transformed through interaction and discourse.
At Vowi, we explore the intersections between art, architecture, design, philiosophy, music, film, literature and other creative disciplines. Our platform offers three main sections:
- Event: A Dynamic Space for Cultural Experiences
The Event section at Vowi is more than just an event platform it is a space for cultural connection and exchange. Event hosts can effortlessly create and manage events, sell tickets, and handle reservations for exhibitions, pop-up markets, performances, and more.
Vowi users can discover and attend meaningful events such as exhibitions, pop-ups, and performances while also connecting with other users who share their cultural interests. This section fosters an organic cultural flow, ensuring that events are not just isolated experiences but opportunities for dialogue, engagement, and deeper cultural exploration.
- Community: A Forum for Cultural Conversations
The Community section is a dynamic space where Vowi users can engage in meaningful discussions, read thought-provoking articles, and share their cultural insights. Whether you’re a creator or a passionate cultural participant, this forum allows you to exchange ideas and perspectives, fostering deeper cultural connections.
In this space, users share their habitus and cultural capital, creating a virtuous cycle of cultural capital through the flywheel effect. It embodies Capital culturel incorporé, where cultural knowledge, values, and skills are continuously shared and integrated through personal interactions, deepening and expanding the collective cultural capital of our community.
- Shop: A Marketplace for Cultural Exchange
More than just a marketplace, the Shop section is a hub for cultural exchange, where Vowi users can buy and sell objects with cultural significance. From vintage treasures to handcrafted goods, this space allows users to share stories through unique items that embody heritage, craftsmanship, and creativity.
This section exemplifies Capital culturel objectivé, where tangible objects hold embedded cultural value, connecting users to culture through meaningful artifacts. Objects span various categories, including art, design, photography, music, furniture, cinema, architecture, and more, making the marketplace a dynamic space for cultural discovery and exchange.
VOWI is a community platform centered around content sharing including research, exhibition reviews, interviews, analysis, introductions, personal narratives, references, and more.
Our platform is designed to cultivate a virtuous cycle and interconnected experience across its sections. For instance, if a discussion about Arte Povera takes place in the Community section, users can seamlessly explore related exhibition information and book reservations through the Event section. Additionally, they can buy or sell culturally significant Arte Povera items in the Shop section. This seamless flow between sections embodies the interconnected cultural landscape we strive to build, where cultural experiences, ideas, and objects continually inform and reshape one another.
The direction we envision for our platform is to move beyond viewing art, music(sound), photography, architecture, cinema, design, furniture, philosophy, literature and other cultural fields as isolated perspectives.
At Vowi, we envision a future where creativity and culture are defined by their constant evolution, recombination, and meaningful connections, proposing the ideal Habitus that humanity should strive for and dreaming of cultural development from a humanistic perspective. And we will go beyond the theoretical limits of Pierre Bourdieu’s framework.
The unique features of the vowi community platform
One of the key features that sets our community platform apart is its unique user structure: the community is made up of two types of users—VOWIERs and general users. Only VOWIERs have the ability to share content on the platform.
To become a VOWIER, users must obtain a unique referral code for VOWIER approval. There are two ways to obtain this code:
1. Contact us directly to request a new referral code, or
2. Be referred by an existing VOWIER and use the same code as your referrer.
Once we reach our first milestone, we will no longer issue referral codes ourselves. From that point forward, new members can only join through recommendations by existing VOWIERs (2.). Through this approach, we aim to build a truly organically connected community where every member is meaningfully linked to one another.
<What is VOWI Point?>
VOWI Point can be used within the VOWI platform ecosystem, and its value is 1 USD = 1 VOWI Point.
(After our community achieves the targeted second milestone, the value of VOWI Points will fluctuate based on supply and demand in a single-sided market.)
—————————————————————————————
How to Use VOWI Point
1. All users can use VOWI Points instead of USD during the purchase and payment process in the Event and Shop (Marketplace) sections.
2. If you are a Vendor(We’d like to call this a Vowier) , you can withdraw VOWI Points as USD or USDT (crypto) from the Vendor Dashboard.
How to Earn VOWI Points (Upcoming Updates Planned)
1. Selling Objects or Event Tickets as a Vendor User
• When a buyer makes a purchase using VOWI Points, the equivalent amount of VOWI Points is provided to the Vendor user.
2. User Activities in Line with Our Mission (Detailed plans will be updated in the future.)
——————————————————
Advantages of Using VOWI Points
• Compared to regular withdrawal methods, significantly lower withdrawal and transaction fees can be enjoyed.
• Only VOWI points can be withdrawn not only in USD but also in USDT.
—————————————
The Vision of VOWI Point
This system is partially inspired by Jean Marcel Tirole’s Two-Sided Market Theory. Once we reach our target number of users and achieve our second milestone (crossing the second chasm), the VOWI platform will operate exclusively with VOWI Points for purchases and payments.
At that stage, the value of VOWI Points will fluctuate according to supply and demand in a single-sided market.
Our community sincerely dreams of the moment when we cross the second chasm. When that moment comes, we believe we will be closer to the organic growth, the virtuous cycle, and the mission of the VOWI ecosystem.
Our mission is “Connecting the Cultures”, and we are looking for early adopter users to share that moment with us.
Vendor dashboard guide for Vowier(vendor)
Product guide URL : https://vowi.us/product-guide/
Order guide URL: https://vowi.us/order-guide/
Withdraw guide URL: https://vowi.us/withdraw-guide/
Event guide URL: https://vowi.us/event-guide/
Our Journey
2020
– Came up with the first idea
2021, 2022
– Planning, securing funding, and team building
2023
– Sep , 2023 : Instgram: vowism . art, photography, sculpture, cinema, music, architecture, design, literature, philosophy and many other cultural fields
Carol christian poell , John alexander skelton , Pritzker Architecture Prize , pulitzer prize photography ETC..
– Dec , 2023 : instagram: vowi.us
2024
– Jun – Oct,2024 : Q&A Interview Project
1. Karam Fairouss. Part 1 , Part 2
2. Tyler Patrick Brand. Part 1 , Part 2
3. KIKI. Part 1 , Part 2
4. Linda Leitner. Part 1 , Part 2
5. Thao-Ly Ngo. Part 1 , Part 2
6. Ema Avlas. Part 1 , Part 2
7. Megan Bouwer. Part 1 , Part 2
8. Asena Ak. part 1 , Part 2
– Jun 6, 2024: Organizing the Platform Planning
– Jun 21, 2024: Start of Platform Design
– Aug 1, 2024: Design Revisions and Development Begin
2025
– Jan 17: MVP Development Completed and Launched ( instagram )
– Feb 2025 – July 2026 : In the process of validating PMF and achieving our first milestone.
– December 2025 : Pre-survey for the development of the VOWI community app
Contact us : support@vowi.us
(VOWI CI work – @leviwilliamdejong )
Our business-related references
– Pierre Bourdieu’s Social Theory and the Concepts of Habitus, Cultural Capital, Field, and Symbolic Violence
– Jean Tirole’s One-Sided and Two-Sided Markets, Platform Strategy, and Network Effects
– “Zero to One” by Peter Thiel
– Jeff Bezos’s Flywheel Effect
– “Crossing the Chasm” by Geoffrey A. Moore
– Richard Thaler’s Behavioral Economics
–“Business Adventures” by John Brooks
– Peter Drucker’s Mission Statement, Management and The Loyalty Effect
– Netflix Culture Deck
– SWOT Analysis
– Ray Kroc’s Grinding It Out
– Cohort Customer Analysis
– Andy Grove’s Only the Paranoid Survive
– Ray Kroc’s Grinding It Out
– Cohort Customer Analysis
– Andy Grove – Only the Paranoid Survive
– Paul Graham’s Founder Mode
– Jim Breyer (Venture Capitalist)
– Mass Marketing
– Measure What Matters by John Doerr
– Principles by Ray Dalio
–Roland Barthes The Pleasure of the Text
–Reid Hoffman
–Martin Heidegger – Being and Time
-Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In- Harvard Negotiation Project
–Kitaōji Rosanjin 『簡素』 , 『魯山人の料理王国』
– Robert Kegan
– Ben Horowitz – The Hard Thing About Hard Things
– Abraham Maslow
–Michel Foucault
–Gilles Deleuze
–Maurice Blanchot
-Kazuo Inamori
-Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
-Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
– Jim Collins – GOOD TO GREAT , TURNING THE FLYWHEEL