Based in Doncaster, he simply asked a bunch of strangers: "What do you want?"
With support from the Arts Council England, the results have been put on display in the Frenchgate Centre, Doncaster.
"The project became led by the answers that subjects gave," says Monaghan.
"Political and societal changes have rendered us all as individual consumers, those portrayed have been photographed alone, but when exhibited they are grouped together and their desires for health, happiness and a better world coalesce.
"We want the same things, we want to get along, we want to be social, we want community."
Monaghan also points out that, of the 150 on show, only one wanted a commodity.
Here is a selection of pictures from the project.
You can see more work by Les Monaghan on his blog.
There are times when it is best to keep things simple, and that's just what Les Monaghan has done for The Desire Project.