Booklet Library



Orlando 0
Philomena Epps

24pg, 30 x 25.5cm, color digital, staple bound, 200 copies
London, UK: Art and Life, 2014

"This issue is the first magazine produced by a new independent platform called Orlando. Orlando was established by myself to introduce a new, creative and cooperative voice into the mainstream. Inspired by the transgressive and resolute protagonist of Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel, the ethos suggests that the visionary mind can be androgynous. Orlando nods to a future where stereotypical notions of masculinity and femininity can be dispelled in favour of the united body. Although indebted to gender theory, this perspective can be used to question the negative effect of any rigid or stigmatising politics. Orlando intends to encourage ideas of progression and social change by promoting those who want to make a difference and make their voice heard. I hope to stimulate a discourse which is critically engaged, free from commercial or bureaucratic interest, and to particularly encourage those who are at a grass roots or emergent stage. The basis of the platform is not singular or individualistic, but aims to promote the well-being of the collective, believing that collaboration can be one of the most powerful and innovative forms of production. Alongside the magazine, I am also commissioning and managing new website content to network and forge connections between like-minded individuals and groups.

I self published Issue 0 in December 2014 in a limited edition print run of 200. The theme of Issue 0 was 'proto' - signifying beginnings, fresh ideas and current inspirations. The issue introduces the voice of a younger generation, in flux, establishing start-up projects and questioning complicity with the bureaucratic mainstream. Their polyphonic voice is inter-disciplinary - mingling art and design, film, literature, politics, and social history. The topics explored are inquisitive in nature, casting refreshing new light on potentially old attitudes and ideas, and forging a path towards a more liberated cultural embodiment." — The Publisher