Description:

MONUMENTAL: Power, Corruption & the Struggle for a Just Society is a modern fable born from the turbulence of our times – global conflict, economic inequality, and the rise of AI all pressing civilisation toward a tipping point. Its purpose is to explore how power operates: how it’s constructed, corrupted, and possibly reclaimed. Framed as an allegory, the book invites readers to reflect on complex social systems through a disarmingly simple, almost childlike lens.

First, let’s address the 800-pound gorilla in the room: AI. Yes, AI tools were used – ChatGPT for narrative development and Midjourney for visual exploration. But before dismissing the work as artificial or creatively compromised, consider the historical moment. We’re on the edge of a shift as significant as the printing press or the internet. The use of AI here is neither hidden nor incidental – it’s deliberate, transparent, and integral to the book’s themes. MONUMENTAL doesn’t just use AI – it interrogates it, asking whether this new power will centralise control or unlock creativity and change.

What truly elevates MONUMENTAL is a world-first literary experiment called Primal Prompting. As part of the creative process, wild gorillas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were observed via the Grace Gorillas YouTube livestream. Their social behaviours – dominance, empathy, tension, and play – were analysed using AI image recognition.

These behaviours were translated into ‘Primal Prompts’ that shaped both the editorial and visual direction of the book. Chapter tone, structure, and visual language were influenced by the gorillas’ group dynamics. Their body language literally informing MONUMENTAL’s visual language.