Jean Snow [.net]

This Week in Magazines

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by

Jean Snow
in
  • TITLE (76) offers up a “Tokyo Relax Tour,” which is well worth picking up as it has some attractive picks — the feature even includes a tilt shift lens shot by photographer of the year (in my book at least) Naoki Honjo! There’s also a rather nice survey of the works of design unit Intentionallies.
  • The latest issue of STUDIO VOICE (367) is devoted to photography, presented in the form of lessons, with tips from major names in the field. There’s also a guide to the must-see anime of 2006.
  • I’ve lost count, but the new BRUTUS (595) is the umpteenth issue of a magazine devoted to book surveys I’ve seen this year. This time, the list includes 730 titles, which are presented in various categories, as well as lists by various celebrities.
  • As I mentioned before, the latest PEN (177) devotes its entire issue to an exhaustive look at the life and works of designer Kashiwa Sato. It’s actually better than a lot of designer profiles/monographs I’ve seen in book form.
  • Following Italy last month, this month’s CASA BRUTUS (76) heads to Germany. There’s obviously a heavy focus on World Cup-related material (like a look at all the new soccer stadiums), but still, it’s a rather nice guide to all the country’s architectural highlights, and would make a nice guide of things you should try checking out during a visit. They also include a pull-out “gluttons” guide to Tokyo restaurants. I also quite liked the article that shows Kazuyo Sejima (of SANAA) giving a workshop to kids about architecture, in which they go through all the steps of construction, from planning, all the way to creating playhouse-sized buildings out of cardboard.
  • OK, it’s official, I’ve lost interest in RELAX, with the new issue’s (113) “Relax_Season Diaries 2006” feature just the latest in a series of un-engaging topics that revolve around relaxation and health. There are still a few interesting things to find in the back pages, but I’m not even sure I’m going to bother picking it up (or browsing) for that anymore. RELAX has become just too “relaxed” for my tastes.
  • This month’s issue of SOTOKOTO (85) presents the “LOHAS Design Award 2006” selections. Is it just me, or can pretty much anything be considered LOHAS-friendly?