to Be Magazine #2 plus Merzbow mixtape

What can a counter-cultural print publication centred around arts, fashion and music be in 2021, in an age where online publishing allows to reach anyone?

For myself, the real achievement of a well-curated print magazine lies in its provision of a space for a real dialogue to create a forum where visions can be shared and critical thinking nourished.

Enter to Be magazine, a very particular publication in that it seems to actively resist to conform to having a fixed identity or format.
Published in a bi-annual fashion, the print version is complemented by an online space as a catalyst for interpolating artists to share their emissions and to connect with new audiences, aestheticians and art enthusiasts.

With Annabel de Vere as a curator at the helm of editing, to Be disseminates new ideas portrayed in an idiosyncratic and unprecedented way of presentation by not merely providing an analysis of the respective content, but by creating a place for discourse.

The free form of each issue aspires to reinvent itself while still somehow retaining its DNA, i.e. imagery being independent and not merely illustrative or ornamental, by expanding and experimenting with traditional editorial and curatorial practices, allowing for pushing the boundaries in terms of presentation and reflection in equal measure.

Balancing a global outlook with an emphasis on the local nature of the magazine, I like the flexibility of the foci as they zoom in and out, which allow for at times delicate, intimate observations which not only geared towards spawning discussions but by being inherently part of it.

to Be’s current, second issue is centred around the key to longevity, i.e. the changing of and with the times and ways to address and respond to the ever-changing fast-paced reality we are faced with these days.

Light is shed through different prisms on how political notions, technological advancements and subcultural development impact its diverse and eclectic cast of contributors, ranging from artists like Erwin Wurm via photographers like Joshua Gordon to musicians like Eartheater. 

In an age of immediacy and overwhelming connectivity, to Be is an ode to lingering on the process, the ongoing and with its deliberate print format, physical objects that can be preserved. 

An ambitious, well-curated tour de force of inspiration, documenting moments, movement and tendencies that matter, the authorship of which gives credit to the notion that there is an astute awareness of the identity of the readership.

Issue #2 is accompanied by a mixtape of noise maestro Asami Makita, i.e. Merzbow. Comprised of rare outtakes of his harsh, confrontational torrent of noise, the mixtape pays homage to the unique space Merzbow occupies in the realm of experimental music at large. 

The taped is backed by Room40’s Lawrence English musings on Merzbow to contextualise the man’s expansive oeuvre and educate the uninitiated on his approach and evolution. What a treat it would have been to have Asami himself contribute an article on his fetishes…