Migrant Journal

Mediation

*Migrant Journal* - © © Migrant, Swiss Design Awards Blog
*Migrant Journal* - © © Migrant, Swiss Design Awards Blog
*Migrant Journal* - © © Migrant, Swiss Design Awards Blog
*Migrant Journal* - © © Migrant, Swiss Design Awards Blog
*Migrant Journal* - © © Migrant, Swiss Design Awards Blog
Here: Migrant JournalAcross Country, Wired Capital, Flowing Grounds, Dark Matters, Micro Odysseys and Foreign Agents sound more like a series of global sci-fi thrillers than titles of a research journal. It is also the editorial board of Migrant Journal’s explicit wish to create an intriguing platform capable of embracing a multi-scalar and transdisciplinary approach to the contemporary global issue of migration. The six-issue independent publishing project brings artistic and scientific practices together in a unique format, with each issue dedicated to a generic topic. Combining empirical research, documentary inquiries, fictional and non-fictional storytelling, abstracting diagrams and theoretical frameworks, the journal, in its own words, aims at “exploring the circulation of people, goods, information, fauna and flora around the world and the transformative impact they have on space.”
There: Hybrid formatEach issue feels robust and weighty, ready for a tough trip, covered in an engaging and slightly rippled cover, like those rugged outdoor hard-drives. With this magazine, you feel equipped. This entirely reflects the content: through textual and photographic narratives, maps and illustrations, essays and stories, quotes and comments, the editors compose a highly sensitive and inspiring journey, prompting the reader to connect the dots between issues too often condemned to reductive views.
The team has taken its endeavour a step further and organised events, using the journal and its many contributions to discuss complex topics in the cultural field. Often featured in Switzerland, international events include, in 2017, a conference at SPUI25 and Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum in Amsterdam, a launch event at MoMA PS1 and a keynote at Modern Magazine 2018 in New York, and in 2019 the series Foreign Agents: Music and Migration at the Design Museum in London and a keynote at Architecture of Migration in Riga.
Everywhere: Transdisciplinary teamThe flowing cohesion of the journal is due to the intense exchange within the editorial team composed of the design practice Offshore Studio (Christoph Miler and Isabel Seiffert), Michaela Büsse, Justinien Tribillon and Damaso Randulfe. Based in Zurich, Offshore Studio has received the Jan van Eyck Academie 2020 fellowship. In 2019 they, together with Justinien Tribillon, won the research and production fellowship from Les Rencontres d’Arles for the project Visible upon Breakdown. Also in Switzerland, Michaela Büsse is a practice-based PhD candidate at the Critical Media Lab in Basel, and among many collaborations, is curator of the festival-as-research OTHERWISE.
Migrant Journal’s first issue was financed through crowdfunding and relies mostly on its sales. Now available in more than a hundred bookshops, it has sold over 20,000 copies. The publication received a Graphite Pencil at the 2019 D&AD Award and was awarded the first Willy Fleckhaus Preis.
Migrant Journal(Isabel Seiffert 1986, Christoph Miler 1988, Michaela Büsse 1988), Based in Basel and Zurich, www.migrantjournal.com
Project(s)Migrant Journal, 2016–2019

You are using an outdated browser.
Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.