Max Siedentopf offers silly but significant advice in his latest series, Instructions for World Peace

Date
19 January 2018

We’re just about at the point in January where most have given up on hopeful New Year’s Resolutions. But don’t feel guilty for dismissing the healthy lifestyle you promised yourself, Max Siendentopf is here to help with his latest project, Instructions for World Peace.

Born out of the “vast amount of instructions and DIY tutorials which usually try to aid the viewer to become a better version of themselves or how to improve the environment,” Max utilises his signature humour in Instructions for World Peace. A series of gifs, the language Max uses emulates the irritating tone of voice often used in the tutorial videos which inspired the series. “Whatever you want to learn, there will be instructions for it out there,” he points out.

However rather than encouraging impossible goals, Instructions for World Peace shares simple tips to improve yourself, and consequently the world around you too. “I believe that achieving world peace first of all starts with changing yourself and your own habits,” explains Max. But unable to include himself in the project, “I decided to use the closest model to myself, my dad. Luckily he is also much more handsome, wiser, successful and funnier than me.”

As with all of Max’s work the series is directly funny, but in his acknowledgement of “our obsessive need to improve,” he makes some pretty good points too. Tips such as staying hydrated, taking care of the environment or staying positive under pressure is all solid advice, but the silliness of the project lies within the combination of his captions and images, picking up on stupid things we’ve all experienced, such as forwarding chain mails for good luck or avoiding heated discussions by hiding under a table.

But in its silliness Max still manages to make a significant point, by connecting self improvement to “today’s increasingly tense political climate which can be felt across the globe,” he explains. “The series addresses social and political notions by presenting instructions to achieve the ultimate goal: World Peace.”

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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Max Siedentopf: Instructions for World Peace

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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