Minimalism

A customisable zine responding to minimalism encouraging new interaction with the subject matter.

In a society obsessed with consuming, I realised that we all own a lot of things but very few things are made individually, specifically for us. I researched why we consume, the contrasts between consuming and collecting and minimalism.

In this publication I argue that minimalism is classist and working class people don’t have the option to live a minimalist lifestyle. 

The unorthodox design of the publication is inspired by ephemera relating to consuming, such as receipts, plastic bags and for sale stickers. I aimed for the over-the-top design to be representative of the way consuming is often overwhelming and everywhere. 

Each publication includes a package of found ephemera, and several sheets of plain white stickers. This allows my audience to edit, cut, collage, and change the form and content of the publication. 

I printed an edition of the work and distributed this project to a variety of young creatives, who all responded to the work. If I were to do this project again I would incorporate another step after the first creative interacted with it, by swapping the publications between people to establish a narrative or conversation around the subject matter.