Das Lethe-Kompendium

We live in a world of digital acceleration, of pluralistic opportunities, of seemingly infinite diversity and dispersion. To focus on the essentials and promote mental health we need to stop and think. We have to permit the most important phenomenon: the absolute loss of controll, the forgetting. this book is a compendium. It takes a closer look at the process of forgetting from different perspectives, from a medical and scientific point of view, from historical and modern times. These information are combined with associations which were triggered by studying the texts. The focus is not only on transfering knowledge, it is on images which are meant to convey a certain feeling. The design is inspired by so called devotional books, which transfer the idea of concentration since the antiquity until the time of Christianity.

The result is a 624 page book with a borderless photo-color cut of a river, because not only Lethe is a river in the underworld of the Greek mythology, but also our whole life is in flow. Pantha rei. Alles fließt.

This book is a kind of media-philosophical work with the aid of book design. Supervised by Professor for Editorial Design Stefan Stefanescu and Professor for Philosophy, Aesthetics and Cultural Theory Dr. Mirjam Schaub. With photo series made by the beautiful Hannah Häseker, Ines Könitz and Rebecca Rütten. With texts written by Stefanie Glaschke, Hanna Holthausen and Stephanie Keunecke.

Non-commercial student work.

Design
Lara Kothe

Photos
Timo Knorr