If iconic Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama were born in 2038 instead of 1938, his work would look something like MOTHER, a futuristic magazine that takes inspiration from Japanese art. Only on its second issue, MOTHER has already carved out a place for itself on newsstands, with striking imagery of outer space and futuristic fashion. Yet for all its technophilia, MOTHER also distinguishes itself from the ever-growing blogosphere by focusing on the physical: its issues aren't so much magazines as beautiful, collectible objects.
MOTHER is the brainchild of London-based photographer Kate Friend. For each issue Kate invites a group of contemporary artists, both emerging and established, to interpret one concept. The current issue around the theme "Transcendence" features an excerpt from Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo, a book about the history of space clothing, and a photo series on aether, the element that medieval scientists believed to occupy outer space. Below, Kate answers our questions and shares her favorite images from the first two issues.
Shop Mother here.
Shannan Elinor Smith: How does MOTHER set itself apart from other publications now?
Kate Friend: It's published as an object and designed to be tactile. If our encounters with paper are rare, paper should be heavy, permanent, beautiful. MOTHER has a visual integrity and a commitment to aesthetic discipline that people find refreshing.
Can you talk about the themes you've picked for issues of MOTHER? Volume I was "Genesis" and Volume II was "Transcendence."
With Volume I, we were just starting to understand MOTHER as a 3-D object. I knew in some ways we were doing something new, so there was a feeling of beginnings, dawn, birth, etc. And with Volume II, I wanted to take things in a more experimental, intangible direction, hence transcendence. I was interested in the ways people try to get beyond the human body, so this issue explores space travel, solitude, shamanism, and meditation.
Can you tell me about the subtitle of the magazine, “Vanguard aesthetics from Japan and the world”?
Vanguard is a military term for being at the frontline. Mother is authoritarian, a synonym for the foundation, the root of all things. So together you have an aesthetic that is both at the forefront and fundamental.
What is it about Japanese aesthetics that you find so appealing?
It's a MOTHER aesthetic that I find appealing. Minimal, advanced, clean, expensive. Sometimes difficult, uneasy, erotic. Anti-nostalgia. Something I haven't seen before.
Do you spend a lot of time in Japan?
I'm there once a year, sometimes more.
What has been your favorite editorial to shoot?
My favorite jobs are in extreme environments. Last month was good, in high-desert California and somewhere very secret on the East Coast where I had the chance to fly and land a plane.
What photographers and artists influence you?
It changes. At the moment, Irving Penn, David Wojnarowicz,
MOTHER is the brainchild of London-based photographer Kate Friend. For each issue Kate invites a group of contemporary artists, both emerging and established, to interpret one concept. The current issue around the theme "Transcendence" features an excerpt from Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo, a book about the history of space clothing, and a photo series on aether, the element that medieval scientists believed to occupy outer space. Below, Kate answers our questions and shares her favorite images from the first two issues.
Shop Mother here.
Shannan Elinor Smith: How does MOTHER set itself apart from other publications now?
Kate Friend: It's published as an object and designed to be tactile. If our encounters with paper are rare, paper should be heavy, permanent, beautiful. MOTHER has a visual integrity and a commitment to aesthetic discipline that people find refreshing.
Can you talk about the themes you've picked for issues of MOTHER? Volume I was "Genesis" and Volume II was "Transcendence."
With Volume I, we were just starting to understand MOTHER as a 3-D object. I knew in some ways we were doing something new, so there was a feeling of beginnings, dawn, birth, etc. And with Volume II, I wanted to take things in a more experimental, intangible direction, hence transcendence. I was interested in the ways people try to get beyond the human body, so this issue explores space travel, solitude, shamanism, and meditation.
Can you tell me about the subtitle of the magazine, “Vanguard aesthetics from Japan and the world”?
Vanguard is a military term for being at the frontline. Mother is authoritarian, a synonym for the foundation, the root of all things. So together you have an aesthetic that is both at the forefront and fundamental.
What is it about Japanese aesthetics that you find so appealing?
It's a MOTHER aesthetic that I find appealing. Minimal, advanced, clean, expensive. Sometimes difficult, uneasy, erotic. Anti-nostalgia. Something I haven't seen before.
Do you spend a lot of time in Japan?
I'm there once a year, sometimes more.
What has been your favorite editorial to shoot?
My favorite jobs are in extreme environments. Last month was good, in high-desert California and somewhere very secret on the East Coast where I had the chance to fly and land a plane.
What photographers and artists influence you?
It changes. At the moment, Irving Penn, David Wojnarowicz,