Interview with Juan Ignacio Moralejo

 

Q: There is no image on the cover of CORRESPONDENCIA. The look of the images and texts are giving the audience a sense of freedom and random. Readers may not know what to expect to see and read. I think it gives this magazine a comfortable and enjoyable feeling. What is the structure of its content in this publication?

It has no images in the cover, because there are many images inside, from different people, so choosing one would be strange. It also leaves mental space to make it more neutral.

It is divided in 6 sections of 24 pages each:

1. Visual dossier from one person.
2. Original texts.
3. Images from various sources.
4. Texts that someone read, liked and transcribed.
5. Letters.
6. Visual dossier from one person. 

 

Q: What does the name “correspondencia” mean? What is the concept behind it?

The concept is the double meaning of the word "correspondence":

1. Communication by exchanging letters, with someone. A printed message.
2. To have a close similarity, connection, or empathy with someone.

 

Q:  How did you start your career in arts publishing? Long time ago I discovered a magazine calledSede and just realized it was one of your many publishing projects. Could you tell us a little bit background stories about it?

I always loved magazines, so as an experiment in publishing I started Sede. When I feel I reach  a point where I could make it better, I change de project and start a new one. So in the end, even if I present the magazine to the public, it’s just a personal workshop for me.

 

Q: What is your focus in CORRESPONDENCIA now? How is the next issue going to be like?

At the moment I am working with a new graphic designer that I really admire, Harsh Patel. So I am taking some time to rethink it and put more effort on it. I like working slowly, not really rushing things, so maybe in September or October there will be a new issue with many changes.

 

Q: As we are in Asia, maybe due to the distance, we don’t often see many independent publications from Argentina. I would like to know a practitioner’s idea of the arts publishing environment there. How do you reach your audience?

There are a couple of independent publications, but I feel there should be more. We have some connection with some of these, but its not too strong. I reach the audience by organizing gatherings, communicating through emails and distributing it in some selected bookstores.

 

Q: What do you treasure in images and texts? When flipping/going through this magazine, I feel you visualize the action “reading” in a book form. In other words, it is not only a book but it gives very much a feeling of reading. How did you do it? Could you talk about the editing process and designing process?

Yes, the feeling is very much like a book. That is what is going to change a little bit, to give more the idea of a magazine and less like a book. The editing process and design was easier to do because it was standardized, now it will require a bit more effort.

 

Q:  Does your lifestyle reflect to the magazine you create? How do you usually discover the materials that you would like to put in the magazine pages? Could you take an article for example?

Yes, that’s my goal, to live my life the way I do the magazine. With austerity, tranquility and not rushing anything. Not very commercial and not falling into the usual traps of working too many hours in things that are not interesting to me.

 

Q: In the second issue, you select photographer Takashi Homma and Henry Roy’s images under the section of “Dossier” instead of entitling them with a name.  How did you arrive at treating photography work in this way? I am interested in how you consider photography as a medium or as a form at our present time.

I’m not really interested in art, galleries or museums. I like the photography that reminds me of certain moments of everyday life. I don’t feel anything with complicated or conceptual images. That’s why to me the dossiers speak for themselves, they don’t really need titles like artworks do.

 

Q: From your website you mentioned that it took you two years to think of a magazine that you wouldn't get tired of making. And the result is CORRESPONDENCIA. I guess it is because you find a consist style that you would like to make it to reality as magazines. What is the reason for you now?

Haha its feels now I found things I want to change about Correspondencia. But I don’t complain about it, because when you do (not just think), you learn other things. The reason for doing it now is still evoling so I don’t have a clear reply to that.

自在的濾鏡 Correspondenciaby Juan Ignacio Moralejo

Correspondencia是一本充滿私人化生活態度的雜誌，來自於創辦者Juan Ignacio Moralejo。這本雜誌來自於阿根廷，只能在為數不多的各國獨立書店裡找到它的蹤跡，它並不特別強調個人主義，沒有人物專訪、也不將重點放在創作者的個人功勳之上。首期雜誌收錄了藝術家Wolfgang Tillmans和Mark Borthwick的影像。Moralejo曾在雜誌創刊號發行之初，表示自己非常仰慕Tillmans，直言這些藝術家在九〇年代改變了他理解雜誌和攝影的方式。

在Correspondencia之前，Moralejo他還創了另一本雜誌Sede，以及數個線上出版計畫，他也是很受歡迎的西班牙雜誌Apartamento的固定特約編輯，以自由創作人的身分，參與許多獨立出版計畫。


Ｑ：Correspondencia的封面並沒有任何影像，從內頁文字和照片的編排則感受到一股隨機、自由的氣息，我猜想讀者或許無法從第一眼就能得知自己將會看到或讀到什麼樣的訊息，這同時也給了雜誌本身一股自在感，讓人感覺愉快。請問這本雜誌內容是建立在什麼樣的架構之上？

Ａ：選擇不在封面上放照片，是因為內頁裡已有許多的照片，它們來自不同人的創作，所以如果要我選一張放在封面，那會顯得相當奇怪。這麼做的理由也是為了在封面留下一塊「精神層面」的空間，讓整本雜誌的調性是更加中性的。

這本雜誌分成六個區塊，每一個區塊有24頁：

1. 視覺卷宗（Visual dossier）：收錄一位創作者的作品
2. 文字創作
3. 來自不同創作者的影像作品
4. 收錄某人曾經讀過、喜歡且節錄下來的文字
5. 信件們
6. 視覺卷宗（Visual dossier）：收錄一位創作者的作品

Ｑ：Correspondencia這個字代表什麼意思？背後有什麼涵義嗎？

Ａ：概念來自於“correspondence”這個單字擁有的雙重涵義。

1. 透過與某人進行信件交換所完成的溝通。一份印出來的訊息。
2. 與某人建立起一份親近的相似性、連結或是同理心。

 

Ｑ：你如何開始你在藝術出版領域的職業生涯？許久之前我曾發現一本雜誌叫做Sede，後來才發現這份雜誌也是由你創辦的，你能否告訴我們一些關於你的背景故事？

Ａ：我一直對雜誌充滿熱愛，Sede是我在藝術出版領域的一個實驗性計畫。當我感到我已達到某種程度的目標，並且感到我可以做得更好，我便轉換計畫，開始下一個新的實驗。所以說，即使這本雜誌是公開發行的，但於我而言，這只是個私人的工作坊。


Ｑ：那麼，就現階段的Correspondencia而言，你專注在什麼事情上面？下一期雜誌會是什麼樣子的呢？

Ａ：現階段我正與一位我非常仰慕的平面設計師一起工作，他的名字是Harsh Patel。我想要花點時間，重新思考這本雜誌的定位，並注入更多的努力。我工作時喜歡放慢速度，並不會急匆匆地把事情完成，所以也許九月或十月份新的一期才會出現，並且有許多改變。


Ｑ：我們身處於亞洲，也許是因為距離的關係，我們並不是常常有機會可以見到來自阿根廷的獨立出版品，我想要請問，以你身為一位實踐者的觀點，當地藝術出版的環境和狀況是怎麼樣的？你又如何接觸到你的讀者們呢？

Ａ：這裡可以找到一些獨立出版刊物，但我覺得應該還要有更多。我們與其中一些獨立出版者有些聯繫，但這份聯繫並不是非常地強。我會辦一些聚會，並且透過email聯繫，將雜誌發行到一些特定的書店裡。


Ｑ：對於影像和文字表現，你最重視的是什麼？當我翻閱雜誌，幾乎可以感受到你將「閱讀」這個動作，視覺化地夠過一本書的方式呈現，換句話說，這不僅僅是一本書，還是一本讓讀者可以充分意識到「閱讀」的一本書，請問你是怎麼做到的？可否談談編輯或設計的過程？

Ａ：沒錯，這本雜誌其實很像一本書，這個部份也正是我想要稍微改變的地方，讓它看上去更像一本雜誌而不要那麼靠近一本書的質地。原有的編輯或設計流程並不是那麼難，因為是標準化的結果，而現在，我需要投注更多的心思在上面。


Ｑ：你的生活型態反應在你所創造的雜誌裡嗎？通常你是如何發現你想要放在雜誌裡的素材？

Ａ：沒錯，這正是我的目標，以和創造雜誌同樣的方式來過我的生活，儉樸地、寧靜地去完成，不帶一點急迫。不是那麼地商業化、也不要落入一般工作常出現的陷阱，我對於花太多小時在事情上並沒有太大的興趣。


Ｑ：在第二期雜誌裡，你選擇了攝影師 Takashi Homma和Henry Roy的作品，並將他們二人的影像置於「卷宗（dossier）」這個欄目之下，而不是賦予這些影像作品一個名字，請問你為什麼要以這樣的方式來呈現攝影作品？攝影做為媒介或者是型式，存在於我們的生活之中，我很有興趣知道你是如何看待它。

Ａ：我對於藝術、藝廊或美術館不怎麼有興趣。我喜歡攝影的原因，是因為影像可以喚起我對日常生活裡的特定幾個片斷；對於複雜的影像或觀念派攝影就沒有什麼想法，這也是為什麼，這些照片很適合安置在「卷宗」這個欄目之下的原因，這些影像並不需要像其他藝術作品一樣，需要一個作品名稱。


Ｑ：在你的個人網站上，你提到Correspondencia是一本你一直有興趣做下去的雜誌，不會感到厭煩，我猜想這是是因為你找到了一個有系統的架構，並且想要將之實踐，是否是因為如此？

Ａ：哈，其實老實說，現在我似乎發現了雜誌裡有一些需要改變的地方。但我並不會因此而抱怨，因為當你去做（而不只是想），你會學到其他的東西。至於為什麼想要一直將Correspondencia做下去的原因，至今仍一直在進化，所以我無法給你一個確切的答案。

 

 

 

本文首發於今藝術雜誌第236期  May/2012