276 pages Edited by Ramdane Touhami 38 x 28 cm Language: English, Japanese Paperback Publisher: PERMANENT.FILE Winter 2025
From cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo to illicit drug production in Lebanon, from the alleged site of Noah’s Ark in Türkiye to sprawling solar farms in China, the new issue of Useless Fighters explores the geopolitical, economic, and spiritual tensions that converge in mountain regions around the world.
This edition features a wide range of voices and visions: an editorial by Isaac Puente and Ramdane Touhami in praise of mountaineering; an introduction by Henry Levinson titled My Heart’s Atop My Mountain Home, My Head Is Close to Heaven; a photographic investigation by Thomas Lohr into the supposed discovery of Noah’s Ark; and archival material from Thierry Mauger highlighting mountain rituals and symbolism. Xu Menguyan explores China’s energetic mountains, while Hans Ulrich Obrist reflects on the work of Gerhard Richter. Matheus Martins writes on the myth of the lost giants, and Ylias Niao takes us to the remote island of Socotra through words and images.
Sophie Stafford and Ana Lucia Tello capture the intersection of fashion and altitude, and Ayla Angelos reports on the dark economies of illegally farmed mountains. Yumna Al-Arashi documents cannabis plantations in the Lebanese highlands; Gabriel Moses photographs Jamaica’s Blue Mountains. A feature titled Genesis revisits The North Face’s cultural legacy, followed by an interview with David Alcorn about serendipitous success in mountain ventures. Justin Kendall writes on rare snowfall phenomena, while Heather Snowden explores the politics of erasure in These Mountains of Shame. A special segment is dedicated to Jean-Michel Basquiat’s imaginary orophilic worlds. Finally, Ilyes Griyeb presents a striking photo series from the Hoggar Mountains, Léonard Vernhet offers glimpses of Kingston Town, and Frédéric Le Blay, with photographer Gianluca Normano, closes the issue with Forge for the Gods, Ashes for the Men.
Useless Fighters is a biannual magazine that rejects Alpine clichés and snowy postcard fantasies. It reclaims the mountain as a site of conflict, memory, resistance, and imagination. A new editorial vision for a new audience.
Published by PERMANENT.FILES, the creative studio founded by designer-entrepreneur Ramdane Touhami and art director Léonard Vernhet (EPOCH Review), Permanent specializes in telling stories through magazines, film, books, garments, and beyond.
