I ask people all over the world a simple question: what is “the one thing” you wouldn’t want to live without?
As part of the “the one thing” project, I portray people with their favorite object: around 80 photo portraits have been taken worldwide since 2018. With the project “the one thing” I would like to inspire everyone to deal with conscious consumption and to think about what is really important in their lives.
In February 2020 I showed a large photo exhibition on the project in the New Town Hall in Hanover, with motifs from Hanover and the twin cities Hiroshima, Poznan, Perpignan, Leipzig and Bristol. The exhibition will be on the move in the future and can be rented. I am also happy to offer a supporting program around the exhibition.
What do I really need?
In our consumption-oriented, affluent society, we usually have more things than we actually need. Around 100 years ago, a family had an average of just 180 items in their household. Today the average European person is estimated to own around 10,000 things. The number of our possessions has increased rapidly, especially since the 1950s.
Photo portraits from around the world
The project “the one thing” collects impressions of people and their personally most important object. I ask people all over the world what things are important in their lives. The background, age and professions of the people involved in this project are very diverse. They all have in common that they are interested in topics such as mindfulness, conscious consumption, sustainability or minimalism.
In 2018 I started to take portraits of people from my environment and whenever I went traveling to ask local people about their favorite object. So far, portraits have been created for example in Japan, Colombia, Ukraine, Poland, France and Great Britain.
About me: traveling with a backpack around the world
I have been a digital nomad since 2021 and reduced my own belongings to two boxes and luggage. I discovered minimalism as a lifestyle for myself in 2015 and then immediately started organizing the minimalism roundtable in my hometown Hanover to regularly exchange ideas with like-minded people. In my podcast show “Minimalismus JETZT!” I report on my experiences in getting rid of my stuff, my insights from dealing with other minimalist topics and my life as a digital nomad. I also give workshops and write about minimalism for various media.