Thursday, December 1, 2011

Elias Redstone's 'ArchiZines'

Writer Elias Redstone has curated an online exhibition, "ArchiZines", comprising journals, magazines, pamphlets, print-on-demand newsletters, and "fanzines" he's collected while traveling the world. As stated in the exhibition's About section, the virtual display of the publications "celebrates and promotes publishing as an arena for architectural commentary, criticism, and research, and as a creative platform for new photography, illustration, and design." 

A still expanding archive, ArchiZines showcases publications from 2000 to the present. Included are issues of Megawords (United States), The Modernist (United Kingdom), Fresh Meat (United States), Apartamento (Spain), Criticat (France), Map (Denmark), Junk Jet (Germany), Conditions (Norway), and dozens of other titles from alternative and independent publishers in the architecture field. Varying from photocopies to professionally printed and bound titles, the collection serves as a resource for designers, architects, critics, photographers, collectors, and the curious. (To view any of the 76 selections online, go here and scroll down to the images of publication covers.)

Currently, a physical exhibition of 60 publications from more than 20 countries, including Argentina, Belgium, Chile, as well as the United States and United Kingdom, is on view at the Architectural Association, School of Architecture, London, United Kingdom. The titles are available to read, and recorded video interviews with the publications' creators are included. Accompanying the show, which runs through December 14, is a catalogue including essays on publishing's role in academic and architectural practice and the representation of architecture in fiction, photography, and culture. 

The National Art Library based in London's Victoria and Albert Museum is slated to become the permanent home of Redstone's collection. The NAL has significant holdings on art, craft, and design, with considerable material specific to architecture (including books and journals), all searchable via the NAL catalogue.

ArchiZines on FaceBook 


2 comments:

Louise Gallagher said...

There's really only one thing I can think of to say -- after visiting Archizines -- Wow!

I'm still speechless.

Wow!

Anonymous said...

one could make a lot of cool collage art out of those...