Paper Pusher :: Materialists Anonymous

posted by Hannah Dawson January 6, 2015

While browsing through a selection of inspiring Instagram feeds, I came across a pocket size riso printed booklet from Toronto based publishing studio, Paper Pusher. More than just a publishing house, run by transdisciplinary media artist and scholar Jp King, they see themselves as a publication research lab, living classroom and collaborative platform, publishing artists’ books, prints, and stationary using their own Risograph RP 3700. Paper Pusher explore the boundaries of paper based products, curiously combining them with riso print techniques, which showcase the quality results you can achieve by employing this printing method.

The Paper Pusher miniature booklet titled ‘Materialists Anonymous’ is only 1.5 x 2 inches in size and is a 12 step program, riso printed over 28 pages of salvaged newsprint paper, treating possessions, ownership, and consumption as a form of addiction. Limited in size this booklet/guide acts as a mini-manifesto and is the official, tongue in cheek, Materialists Anonymous organised road to recovery.

“Over the past few years I have come to wonder if I am addicted to stuff. I go shopping and I hear myself say “I need, I need, I need”. I created this tiny booklet as a reminder that objects are only things, and as much as I love them, I’m not bound by them.” – Jp King

Based in Toronto, Jp King’s practice-led research examines material culture, social engagement, contemporary mythology, masculinity and speculative futures. He is currently completing his MA, balancing his roles as a designer, editor and publisher at Paper Pusher and Papirmass as well as sitting on the board of Directors at Art Metropole. His social practice projects have been installed at the Art Gallery of York University, Whippersnapper Gallery, and the Klondike Institute of Arts and Culture, amongst others. Whilst his collage, design and writing has been featured in publications such as Uppercase, Fast Company, Carousel, Penguin UK, and Chronicle Books.

I also recommend checking out Paper Pusher’s Isometric 3 colour calender for 2015 – showcasing Risograph overprinting, halftones, and fluorescent inks on craft paper.