Sahra Hersi is an artist and spatial designer whose work explores the intersections of architecture, publishing and public space. Her practice is grounded in care, place and community, often bringing people together through conversation, co-making and collective storytelling. She has a particular interest in printmaking, small-scale self-publishing and zines, and uses these formats to explore how stories are shared, archived and made public.
Her collection celebrates the vibrant ecosystem of independent publishing, printmaking, and archiving across the city. Focusing on small-scale, self-organised spaces, it highlights where people come together to write, print, create beautiful things, and share knowledge. The printing press is central to this creativity, fostering a culture of independent, self-published works that often focus on community and political themes.
Equally important are the physical archives these presses and publishers maintain, serving as repositories of knowledge and memory. This collection underscores the importance of knowledge production within the city highlighting how these interconnected practices of publishing, printing, and archiving are vital to collective freedoms and the right to tell our own stories and histories. Through this collection, I want to honour the quiet power of these spaces and the communities that sustain them, recognising them as vital cultural infrastructure often overlooked in conversations about the city.