Aesthetica Magazine Issue 80

December / January 2018

I am constantly learning, each and every day of my life. As one year ends and a new one begins, it’s time for reflection. This year has been particularly complicated. We are living in uncertain times. Everything is moving at a cataclysmic speed. The unthinkable happened: Donald Trump is US president and Britain is leaving the EU. North Korea launched nuclear weapons over Japan, the migrant crisis continues, people live without the most basic needs such as food and shelter and terror attacks are increasing in frequency – leading to fear, isolationism and populism. If you created a time line of events throughout the world, you could see the cause and effect of everything. How did all this happen? Where do we go from here?

We must look at the unprecedented rate of change and to our cyber world for answers. This level of intervention has not been seen on this scale since the Industrial Revolution. We haven’t even had time to properly digest how it is affecting our lives. We’re just scratching at the surface in getting a wider philosophical meaning of what this new upheaval means for our times. How is this affecting our humanity? What does this do to personal autonomy, self-worth and identity? What about creativity and idea generation?

The December / January issue of Aesthetica is about ideas. The notion that progress is continuous, and that we can change things if we want to, is a powerful statement. We take a look at Stephen Shore’s retrospective at MoMA, which not only charts the photographer’s take on the everyday, but how he has always been an innovator. Architecture defines our built world; a new book, Destination Architecture, surveys how buildings play a part in global economies. Meanwhile, Digital Handmade: Craftsmanship and the New Industrial Revolution discusses how technology is making it easier to create.

In photography, Cig Harvey and Kevin Cooley return with work that expands upon their practices. Tekla Evelina Severin, Clarissa Bonet, Jeanette Hägglund and Tania Franco Klein explore new possibilities, from blurring genres to redefining narratives. Finally, the last words goes to Nathan Coley.

Opulent Scenarios

Interested in the elements that sit below the surface, Dean Bradshaw’s conceptual compositions focus on the finer details that define the exterior.

Sensory Disconnect

Jeanette Hägglund is a Swedish photographer based in Uppsala who has worked in the industry for 12 years across advertising and portraiture.

Timeless Minimalism

The ever-changing face of fashion is exemplified through a unique label that combines digital origins and clean styling with an ethical commitment.

Living Detachment

Tania Franco Klein’s works uncover the darker elements of culture from over-consumption and media over-stimulation to emotional disconnection.

Liminal Exploration

Both universal landscapes and personal experiences are represented in a new publication that considers the wider effects of architectural tourism.

United Progression

Combining unprecedented technologies with traditional techniques, Lucy Johnston navigates the future of design.

Emotive Metropolis

Clarissa Bonet (b. 1986) is a Chicago-based artist whose work explores aspects of urbanness in both a physical and psychological context

Seeking Transience

Cig Harvey returns to Aesthetica with images from You an Orchestra You a Bomb, a new photobook that pays attention to the fragile present.

Cultural Dimensions

A major retrospective offers audiences an unprecedented understanding of an artist whose vision has been shaped by accelerating worlds.

Simulated Environment

Tekla Evelina Severin is an interior architect who since 2010, has been working in the multidisciplinary fields of art direction, set design and photography.

Modes of Communication

At Light’s Edge provides desolate views of American landscapes illuminated by eerie distress signals – messages coming from above or vice-versa.