(March 1, 2024)

Volume 5 is a memoir of the creative process, a collection of moments in visual expression, an attempt to capture what it feels like to make art. What is it like living between reality and surreality, between life and art? This volume’s main focus was to create a narrative that carries the reader across the magazine.

The story follows our favorite red masked protagonist, Q, and their journey after discovering what it means to live outside of reality, but without losing himself. What do you think Q found in that journey?

We decided to use our “Commercial Breaks” as the main way to tell and contain this linear story. The backdrop of the beach was meant to create a feeling of a wasteland of sorts, a place untethered from the realities of modern life. We thought about bringing the character into the city, but decided to shelve that idea for now. Another part of the story is the use of light. As the sun goes down, the story slowly unwinds toward its end.

This volume, in particular, came with creative friction. This became our biggest gap. It started to take a toll on us. Now a team of two, as the wheels began to move again, cobwebs had to be dusted off. A lot of late nights were ahead of us. But something happens when the moon is out, right? As the magazine began to take shape, another realization started to settle in.

We came to understand that the magazines are essentially galleries. Spaces that can be carried around, shared physically and digitally. Do not get us wrong, we love having actual gallery events to showcase the work in the magazines. But as you may have noticed, these magazines do not have many words. And as you have seen, most of our layouts reflect a white cube gallery style, where each piece of art is given its own space. It is interesting how lucky we are to understand our actions in retrospect.