“Let’s get physical” may be the go-to line for throngs of health nuts and one tired ‘80s song, but we’d also like to think of it as the melody-turned-mantra behind conceptual publication The Thing Quarterly. And, perhaps even a call to question the current all-digital ethos right now?
San Francisco-based The Thing Quarterly can certainly attest to the latter. It fuses the idea of the physicality of art, collaboration, and tactile inspiration into four objects a year—turning the typical, glossy-paged subscription on its head. Founded by visual artists Jonn Herschend and Will Rogan, it works with top-tier artists, actors, and designers to create a surprise piece delivered to subscribers’ doorsteps. Some of the past endeavors? A Dave Eggers shower curtain, John Baldessari pillowcases, Miranda July window shade, James Franco table mirror—hardly a roster to dismiss, making these items any art enthusiast’s wet dream.
In its 24th and most recent iteration, you’ll find a No Age record designed by Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte. And, not unlike their work, it showcases beauty and decay through intricate layering in both the interior and exterior. We caught up with the founders who took a break from karaoke (song of choice was “Men At Work” in case you’re curious) and celebratory Fireball Jell-O shots at The Thing Quarterly’s SF book launch. “We wanted to work with Rodarte because of the way they've navigated the space between fashion and art,” Jonn Herschend told Opening Ceremony. “Kate and Laura decided that they wanted No Age's piece Aanteni to be the focus of the record. They also wanted side B to be a destroyed version of the song. It sounds as though your needle is being destroyed. Very intense.” Another dream fashion-slash-art collab? According to Herschend, you may want to cross your fingers for a Commes des Garçons and The Thing Quarterly team-up.
The guys also shared some scoop outside their Tenderloin HQ about the new tome, which challenges conventional literary elements. “Our vision for the book was to explore the book as object.” They tapped 30 different artists to basically curate a visual piece guised as a book—by cleverly incorporating works of everyone from Ed Ruscha to Miranda July. Though apprehensive initially, “we didn’t want it to be a book about The Thing,” Chronicle Books was on the same page—and from there it was a go. “We really tried to tailor the book's architecture to what would make the best sense.” The book certainly quizzes the way we look at and approach content—especially in an age seized by the glowing screens of Kindles and iPads. A book? Object? Art? Social statement? All of the above?
Shop issue 24 of The Thing Quarterly here![]()
San Francisco-based The Thing Quarterly can certainly attest to the latter. It fuses the idea of the physicality of art, collaboration, and tactile inspiration into four objects a year—turning the typical, glossy-paged subscription on its head. Founded by visual artists Jonn Herschend and Will Rogan, it works with top-tier artists, actors, and designers to create a surprise piece delivered to subscribers’ doorsteps. Some of the past endeavors? A Dave Eggers shower curtain, John Baldessari pillowcases, Miranda July window shade, James Franco table mirror—hardly a roster to dismiss, making these items any art enthusiast’s wet dream.
In its 24th and most recent iteration, you’ll find a No Age record designed by Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte. And, not unlike their work, it showcases beauty and decay through intricate layering in both the interior and exterior. We caught up with the founders who took a break from karaoke (song of choice was “Men At Work” in case you’re curious) and celebratory Fireball Jell-O shots at The Thing Quarterly’s SF book launch. “We wanted to work with Rodarte because of the way they've navigated the space between fashion and art,” Jonn Herschend told Opening Ceremony. “Kate and Laura decided that they wanted No Age's piece Aanteni to be the focus of the record. They also wanted side B to be a destroyed version of the song. It sounds as though your needle is being destroyed. Very intense.” Another dream fashion-slash-art collab? According to Herschend, you may want to cross your fingers for a Commes des Garçons and The Thing Quarterly team-up.
The guys also shared some scoop outside their Tenderloin HQ about the new tome, which challenges conventional literary elements. “Our vision for the book was to explore the book as object.” They tapped 30 different artists to basically curate a visual piece guised as a book—by cleverly incorporating works of everyone from Ed Ruscha to Miranda July. Though apprehensive initially, “we didn’t want it to be a book about The Thing,” Chronicle Books was on the same page—and from there it was a go. “We really tried to tailor the book's architecture to what would make the best sense.” The book certainly quizzes the way we look at and approach content—especially in an age seized by the glowing screens of Kindles and iPads. A book? Object? Art? Social statement? All of the above?
Shop issue 24 of The Thing Quarterly here
