Elias Redstone, co-founder of the London Architecture Diary and columnist for the New York Times design blog, recently launched an online archive of print publications called ARCHI ZINE. The site showcases international publications, journals and magazines that provide an alternative discourse to design and architecture.
"Alternative and independent publishing has had a dynamic and important relationship with architecture over the years, with prolific moments in the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s. A recent resurgence has seen new titles emerging in many countries, from Argentina, Belgium and Chile to the UK and USA," she said.
The project celebrates and promotes publishing as an arena for architectural commentary, criticism and research, and as a creative platform for new photography, illustration and design. Each publication documents and discusses the spaces people occupy in ways that mainstream or professional publications do not. Select publications will be selected to participate in exhibitions and events from the online collection.
The publications themselves range in style from photocopied zines to professionally printed and bound magazines; and in content, from architectural research to personal narratives about buildings and cities.
“Passionate and dirty and quick, fanzines put some humanity and personality back into architectural writing; they talk about architecture in real life.” said Tom Keeley of Go.
