Supersonic Transport: A Survey of Independent Pop Culture Magazines

Supersonic Transport is an exhibition focused on independent pop culture magazines from around the world. These magazines highlight some of today’s most innovative graphic designers, fashion photographers, writers and artists. The exhibition explores a recently emerged publishing region between the world of little-known “zines” and that of mass-marketed magazines. The characteristics of these publications fall under a broad canopy of cultural content: art, music, fashion, design, architecture and youth culture. The magazines combine dynamic design, innovative forward-thinking and sophisticated production values. Supersonic Transport will show how they promote and play off the desires of informed consumer audiences situated in major centres around the globe.

Mimicking a magazine’s layout, the exhibition will be installed to reveal common editorial and design subject areas. These include the treatment of in-between spaces, straight photography, the periphery of the city, and representations of the body. Historical and fragile material will be displayed in vitrines, lending an archival aspect to the exhibition. Lastly, select magazines will be available in a reading room. Since these limited circulation magazines are generally only sold in particular urban locales; this exhibition will provide a first and rare opportunity to survey this cultural field.

The exhibition is curated by Patrik Andersson, Derek Root and Judith Steedman. An integral part of the exhibition will include a colour catalogue with essays by Andersson, Root, author Douglas Coupland, and writer Jeff Rian, who is editor of Purple (one of the exhibition’s featured magazines).

This exhibition will tour to the Dunlop Art Gallery, Regina, the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, and the Dutch Design Institute, Amsterdam.