Create: Vigilante, A Zine from Andrew Molitor

Vigilante is a zine from Andrew Molitor and it literally made me laugh out loud. If you have been following my site for any length of time then you will recognize the name of Andrew Molitor. Andrew is a photographer, bookmaker, and writer who continually makes publications that challenge the viewer in a variety of ways.

The origins of this project, which are brought to use by the pages of copy leading us into the book, are based on the signs people post up in their neighborhoods most often stapled to telephone poles. We’ve all seen them. Lost dog, lost cat, free concert, guitar lessons, etc. But Andrew being Andrew, took another tack.

What if the signs put up were just random signs about random things? What if the signs were absurdist signs meant only for Andrew’s neighbors? Again, this is brilliant. And again, this is NOT a book about Andrew telling us how great he is as a photographer. This is a conceptual book based on a small, hilarious experiment. Man, a sense of humor goes a LONG way with me, especially considering how many people in our industry take themselves SO seriously.

The book also contains a short essay from Jonathan Blaustein a writer who focuses on photography and photography books. A Blurb 6×9, softcover. Simple, clean, and made with the materials that make sense for the project. The subtitle, “Not Everything Needs a Gallery,” is a not-so-subtle reminder that we don’t need to be famous every day. We can just make stuff and leave it at that. Andrew is a tinkerer and is always making, testing, and sending. Oddly enough, he looks a lot like another friend of mine, but that is another story. Vigilante, for me, is a homerun. Great concept, humor, and realized in print.