I don't think that much

Julie WAGENER

‘‘Certain questions have recurred throughout the history of philosophy. They are the big questions—about happiness
and the good life, the limits of knowledge, the ultimate structure of reality, the nature of consciousness, the relation
between causality and free will, the pervasiveness of suffering, and the conditions for a just and flourishing society—
that thinkers in different cultures across the ages have formulated in their own terms in an attempt to make sense
of their lives and the world around them.’’- Philosophy’s Big Questions by Steven M. Emmanuel
I Don’t Think That Much is a reflective stroll down Ordinary Lane which is paved with questions regarding some of the
many existential crises that global society faces today and whose blowback influences all aspects of our daily lives.
Social inequality, rampant consumerism, environmental disaster, blurred power structures, financial meltdown, wars,
neo-colonialism - add an economical and political framework that enables distructive, short-sighted and excluding
practices and you end up with an alienating system whose failure is carachterised by organised irresponsability. Yes,
life is constant and terribly exhausting. Still this booklet aims to underline the importance of asking big questions and
why it is so important that we start caring again.

Autor*innen

Julie WAGENER

Sprache

Englisch

ISBN / ISSN

978-99959-35-07-8

Seitenzahl

Verlag

Zoom Editions

Datum der Veröffentlichung

01/11/2025

In a society where everything needs to have a purpose to be considered worthy of existence, I embrace the elusive character of illustration in this matter, which resides in a grey area between Kunst and Kommerz. This allows me to infiltrate the often dull commercial world with sensible imagery.
Illustration should not be defined as a fun but negligible addition to our visual and commercial outputs. Unfortunately it is often perceived as a decorative appendix to a public body that is fed on banality. The fact that illustration is more accessible to the general public because of its high commercialisation, should not force nor motivate it to indulge in platitudes to be consumed easily.
Like any other form of art and design, illustration should sensitise and train the public eye and sophisticate the way we look at and understand visual triggers/outputs. In that sense, illustration should be asking more of his viewer but simultaneously giving him more to work with. By daring to stray away from everyday perceptions, the images should try to cultivate (new) affinities in the viewer.