Rochdale youth culture, illustrated aphorisms and those dreaded toe socks: November's Things is here!

With the year coming to an end soon, it’s perhaps a good time to indulge in a little bit of nostalgia and that’s where this month’s edition of Things comes in. With a quick trip to Rochdale to explore youth culture there and back to London to find beauty in the city’s quieter alleys, this month’s selection lets you relive the days of youth without having to leave your room, along with some hidden gems from Singapore and Tokyo. So without further ado, jump right into November’s Things!

01706 issue two

This riso-printed zine made in an edition of 50 is the second issue of Oliver Jackson’s project to capture Rochdale through his own lens. Re-appropriating Patagonia’s logo for its cover and replacing it with Rochdale’s area code, the zine explores everyday youth culture in the northern town. The photos are unassuming and honest, giving Oliver’s own take on pubs, chip shops, DIY gigs and backyard cigarettes which have marked the visual aesthetics of youth culture in Britain.

Valerie Phillips: Alice in Londonland

Valerie Phillips’ Alice in Londonland is the photographer’s tenth book that takes us through a journey of the back alleys of London to find the city’s beauty away from the bustling centres – the London that most residents are probably more familiar with. Photographing Alice Vink as the two tour across the city, the project was Phillips’ way of taking a break from her draining work schedule to appreciate and explore her newly adopted home.

Atelier Hoko: Science of the Secondary: Socks

For the Science of the Secondary series by Singapore-based “independent research lab” Atelier Hoko, the lab takes a step-by-step exploration of one everyday item at a time, seeing the many ways that it’s used, the different forms they come in and how we can elevate our enjoyment of the simple things. In the eighth issue of this charming and comforting publication, the lab looks at how we wear socks: how do you choose which socks to buy? Do you put them on sitting down or standing up? Do you roll them or fold them for storage? The exploration of the simple object seems to go so deep that it risks feeling tongue-in-cheek, but the wholesome tone and illustrations makes this an enjoyable read for a gloomy day.

JooHee Yoon: Up Down Inside Out

This interactive book by illustrator JooHee Yoon, created using only two spot colours, features JooHee’s take on eighteen classic aphorisms. Filled with flaps, die-cuts, gatefolds and populated with her wonderfully odd characters, the book looks and feels like a children’s book in the way that it encourages you to look between the creases and go on your own adventures. In this way, it shows how book form doesn’t have to be linear and you’re only bound by your own imagination. Created with a combination of classic and contemporary printmaking techniques, the lighthearted publication is also a solid technical exercise for the illustrator.

Alessandro Bioletti: Liberty no. 2

The Tokyo-based Italian illustrator Alessandro Bioletti shows us the daily life of a tracksuit-wearing city boy as he ventures into the hectic life of an urban dweller. The publication features bright and bold illustrations set in a fictional city with smiling breakdancers, skateboarders and protesters running from the city police, and plays on the tropes of youth culture. What ultimately won us over, of course, is the cute, white, floppy-eared dog that saunters around the city with the stylish protagonist.