a note from the editor 08

by Ishan Benegal, Editor-in-Chief

Volume 8

pause | collect | sustain

A note from the editor

It’s been some time since we published the last volume. A lot has happened in that time and with the magazine, clearly a lot has not. Sometimes you plan a break and sometimes it’s planned for you. In our case, it was more of the latter. As some things change, develop, build, others need to be looked at differently, reassessed, and perhaps recommitted to.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the practice and cycles. We are in an age where, more so than before, we look at the final product; we look at the final presentation; our attention comes together when the curtains part and it feels as though the show is about to begin.

What of the moment before?
What of the moment after?

It is a cycle. 
We take all the steps to reach that moment where the performance begins,
then the performance is over,
and the day ends, all the same.
You wake up the next morning, all the same,
to do it all over again.

This has been percolating over the last several months as we’ve been working to re-engage with the magazine, to bring it back from an extended pause, and it has been different. It has had a different feel. Moving into the eighth volume and moving into the third year feels distant even though it is not. Because of this break, it feels like a lot of things have to be relearned, rewritten, reframed, and yet somehow the magazine must remain the same. Its core intact.

I think the break was necessary, albeit unintentional, but necessary to reflect and understand how we must move forward in this landscape. I’m reminded of my previous note and thoughts on the word ‘edit’. It feels ever relevant today. But in thinking of cycles, I remind myself that all we can do is take the next step. No matter the outcome, the steps are in our control and that is what we must focus on.

Having stepped back so that now we can step forward.
Into, Volume 08.

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editor's note

Volume 10

contact | shadow | fringe

I’ve been reflecting on the theme for our tenth volume, a lovely milestone that coincides serendipitously with the warehouse’s tenth year, and how it feels apt for the moment we find ourselves in currently. The theme straddles a threshold. The movement from this side to the far side. It isn’t inherently accompanied by an emotion. And yet, I feel it suggests a sense of hopefulness. 

This isn’t in a vacuum but is influenced by two events that concern themselves with a tremendous threshold: our atmosphere and the expanse beyond it. I am referring to the successful flyby mission around the moon by the Artemis II and the release of the film “Project Hail Mary” (adapted from Andy Weir’s novel of the same name). These two events, coinciding in this manner, serve less as random happenstance and more as a reminder, as Carl Sagan said, “The Cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff.” A reminder that everything out there, is also everything in here. It serves as a reminder for hope that as we resume our exploration of the darkest depths of the universe, we must take that strength to step forward from our own personal shadows.

Shadows can be freeing. There is comfort in creating, expressing, and working without scrutiny or pressure or expectation. It has potential for great freedom, movement, and discovery. However, when the driving force isn’t exploration then it can be crippling and lead to paralysis. In those moments, “coincidental” events like these can be arresting and provide a sense of hope that the next step is all that matters. One step at a time soon becomes many past an imposing threshold. As we gather momentum, pressure is bound to build. It is here, with changed circumstances, that the intention must persevere. Learning the rules, allows the impact of breaking them to feel that much sweeter, but that isn’t necessary. Acting from pure instinct allows for an innate expression to present itself. It is balancing this, instinct versus experience, that proves vital to take experience into one’s stride with child-like instinct and intention.

Our focus, at imprint and G5A, on independent stories allows this freedom. It is something we work to preserve so that the experience of ten volumes and ten years, respectively, does not weigh us down but lifts us up through the shadows and into the expanse. This is not easy but it is simple. When you default to curiosity and wonder, it isn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’.

We’re excited for Volume 10 and everything it will hold.