From being quite disappointed with the publishing industry, over the past few weeks the discovery of projects such as Orsai (a magazine without advertising, filled with unpublished chronicles and fiction, distributed with the least intermediaries possible), Monocle (a magazine about things that happen in places no one is watching, defending the old school of foreign bureaus), and The Domino Project (a book publishing project that cuts all middlemen to reduce costs and improve the speed of ideas spreading) have led me to be rather excited about it.
There are also encouraging news on the local level. The former editor of Sede, Molde and Foco, Juan Ignacio Moralejo, is launching a new publication on Friday: Correspondencia.
BA Inspiration exchanged e-mails with Moralejo to talk about the intentions and ideas behind this new project.
BA Inspiration (BAI): What motivated you to launch a new publication at this time?
Juan Ignacio Moralejo (JIM): In my previous projects I found several limitations. They were personal experiments from which I learned a lot, despite their small scale. But I took two years off to think about a greater magazine, one which from which it would be difficult for me to get tired of.
BAI: What is going to be Correspondencia’s core?
JIM: The two meanings of the word Correspondencia. On one hand, it is the act of exchanging written material, letters: I think the same message can be different if it is displayed on a screen or printed on paper, it acquires another presence. The other meaning is mutual empathy between people, to correspond with someone. In that way, the people I work with, even the sponsors, are persons with whom we understand each other momentarily. They send me material they see, read, write, etc. There is a structure with sections, but it is long to explain here.
BAI: What do you think this project can bring to the magazine segment both locally and internationally?
JIM: I just created what I wanted to find, with the same emphasis on the visual and the written. But I do not know what kind of reception it will have. It’ll come out every four or six months, depending on my times and on how it works economically.
BAI: In which way is this project different from previous ones like Sede, Molde, Foco?
JIM: Sede and Molde had interviews, something Correspondencia will not have. This time there isn’t so much focus on one person, what he or she does, their routine. In this Facebook age, with its cult of individuality and the need to constantly sell yourself as someone interesting, I feel more comfortable presenting material that is more comprehensive and general.
BAI: What kind of content can be found in this first issue? What was your favorite article or feature?
JIM: I was very fortunate when Wolfgang Tillmans’ assistant wrote saying he was coming to Argentina for a few days, somehow incognito, as he did not want to meet artists or curators. They asked me to help him out in the city, to guide him a bit, and I even threw a party for him because he wanted to dance. The strange thing is that when I started Sede, a question I asked myself was, “What magazine would Tillmans like?” because I was a huge fan. Same with Mark Borthwick. So to have them both in the first issue with a 24 pages spread each, is almost symbolic to me. I know it does not sound very patriotic but hey, in the 90s they changed my perception of how to understand magazines and photography. And the two are still completely honest about what they do, they have not become parodies of themselves, like others from their generation have.
Correspondencia magazine launches on Friday with an event at Net (more info in the flyer below), where you’ll be able to get the first edition with a 25% discount, for about 30 pesos. Afterwards, it will be distributed at Malba Shop (Barrio Parque), Purr (Barrio Norte), La Teatral (Bajo Belgrano), Cobra (Caballito), Fedro (San Telmo) and Poema 20 (Retiro), for 40 pesos.
Beginning next month, it will also be distributed at several stores in cities around the world. For more information or orders, visit its website or write to info at revistacorrespondencia dot com.
Links:
RevistaCorrespondencia.com
Disclaimer: BA Inspiration is supporting the project with an ad in this first issue.