May's Things: a publication special!

Date
1 June 2017

This month’s Things is a celebration of publications. As the spring summer issues of regular magazines hit the stands during May, we were sent a range of familiar and upcoming printed ephemera soon to become your new favourite publication. From self-initiated projects by photographers to collaborative zines and side projects, here is the publication post we received last month.

Multiple States: Futurity Zine

“Futurity is a digizine released every now and then,” sounds like a very nice way of creating a publication. The result of this lax approach means that each issue of Futurity is packed with content that feels right, there’s no rush to put stuff in, and the theme for this issue, success, suits the zine excellently. Created by digital design development and content creation studio, Multiple States, each issue “invites artists to submit work and words loosely related to a theme”. Designed by Will McLean, Kevin Beck, Hamish McLean and Chris Corby, the work featured is spread largely across pages so you can truly admire the success of each piece by the submitted artists.

Jess Gough: Topographies I

London-based photographer Jess Gough seems to have an enviable life behind the lens of her point and shoot. Across countries and multiple landscapes, Jess travels the world and captures it in all its glory. Topographies I is “the first in an ongoing series of publications, each exploring a particular landscape through photography”. The photographs within this first issue capture the magical topography of the south and south-western parts of Iceland in 2016. The murky grey of Iceland in April is the ideal topic for Jess’ style of photography, with an acute eye for light and shadows as the sun peaks through clouds or the steam rises from a far away house. Designed by Jamie Allan Shaw, we already can’t wait for issue two.

Bridgette Ashton & Nicole Mollett: Only The World Remains

This month an exhibition of fine art practices from sculpture, installation and drawings by artists Bridgette Ashton and Nicole Mollett is on show at Space Station Sixty-Five, London. With support from the Arts Council England, the women have created a printed folder packed with multi-format representations of their work. From postcards of the both their work, a zine by Bridgette documenting her installations, a giant map pointing out the exhibit, an essay The Fly Remains by Sally O’Reilly, posters and more, the package is the dream press release to encourage visitors to go to the gallery. The exhibition runs until 29 July 2017.

Pentagram Papers: 47: Museum Collection

For the 47th issue of Pentagram Papers, the publication from key figures of the design industry which publishes “examples of curious, entertaining, stimulating, provocative and occasionally controversial points,” have chosen museum keys and cards to document. Art directed simply and straight to the point, the publication shows still life photographs of the alternate coat room checks, passes and keys, for art galleries and museums around the world. From the elegantly designed keys of the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany to a faded piece of paper from the Pompidou in Paris, the publication is a sweet representation of the individual personalities of these cultural institutions.

Ollie Murphy: Divagate

Photographer Ollie Murphy sent us his new zine this month showcasing his flare for portrait photography. The monochrome printed zine extenuates the high flash of Ollie’s photography, raising the gradient so that each of his subjects look as if they’ve been captured in 1977 rather than 2017. A graduate of Central Saint Martins and Camberwell College of Art, Ollie’s photographic clients include Brick, Blondie and Billy Childish for _Obey, and a personal project photographic documenting the studio of Fergadelic “the legendary artist behind Palace Skateboards”. Watch out for more work from Ollie!

Kaj Jefferies: Krung Thep

Director and photographer Kaj Jefferies creates short films for a range of commercial clients, but it is when she gets to shoot personal content that her use of narrative takes hold of the viewer. Created on a trip to Bangkok, Krung Thep juxtaposes the motorcyclists of the city against the city landmarks they scoot past. A mix of black and white against popping colour photographs in itself creates two portrayals in itself. Krung Thep is not only a zine but a short film too which you can watch in full here.

Girls Club: Me, Myself and I

Reading the most recent issue of Girls Club, is like a hug in publication form. The theme for the zine’s fourth issue is Me, Myself and I, and will set the mind at rest concerning personal things we all often worry about. It shines a light on these feelings, through photographic and artistic commissioning, both in it’s tone of writing and creatives, exploring “everything from self-image and loneliness to battles with mental health and grief”. Echoing Georgia Murray’s editor’s letter, “I hope you enjoy reading this in solitude, content with being alone, loving yourself in all your messy perfect entirety. In the words of Queen Bey, ‘I took a vow that from now on I’m gonna be my own best friend.’”

On the note of Queen Bey, definitely check out the playlist on the back cover of the zine too, including everything from Beyoncé herself to Weyes Blood, Lady Gaga, Angel Olsen and Jennifer Lopez.

Studio H: Chips!

The first issue of Chips! is brilliantly thoughtful. It comes in it’s own transparent crisp packet like bag, inside is a papery zine which feels like a hot package of fish and chips, and even comes accompanied with a packet of salt and vinegar. Treats aside, thoughtful editorial content continues throughout the issue. “Born out of the firm belief that every creative team should have a side project that they are passionate about. For Studio H, a multidisciplinary studio in South Africa, that’s a food magazine.” On the menu for the first issue is pieces on hotel breakfast buffets, a recipe for a quick Vietnamese chicken pho, and a photographic essay on the patron saints of food and drink. For an A5 zine Chips! is full to the brim of delicious content and has left us hungry for more.

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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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