What if CAN was a Magazine?

What if CAN was a magazine? What kind of stories would we tell in a different medium? The web is built for speed and while it is great for skimming and sharing it leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to telling long and in-depth stories. The details, references, influences, the processes that contribute to projects seldom get picked up on, and while we have tried to do this on CAN in the past, the limitations in both time and resources have made it very difficult . Publishing great stories takes a lot more than just being able to discover great projects – it involves travel, photography, spending time with artists, observing and researching.

CAN has always been great for reporting what is happening in the fields of art and technology and we are very proud about what we have achieved. Quick, short, reports has been the primary style on CAN but, four years later, it is time to step up and slow down. The only way we feel we can do this is by exploring a different medium, one that speaks to quality, patience and consistency. About a year ago we started working on something we called “unidentified publishing object”, a magazine we now call HOLO.

HOLO is dedicated to rich, detailed stories that demand time and attention. If CAN is about projects, HOLO is about people. Published twice per year, each issue will be comprised of 150-200 pages and provide intimate views into fascinating studios, workshops, galleries and institutions around the world, as seen through the eyes of stellar photographers and talented writers. The pace, depth and sensibility of print allows us to invest heavily in each story and craft months of research, travel and conversations into nuanced portraits you won’t find anywhere else. In addition to extensive artist features, HOLO will contextualize current trends and topics in visual essays, sweeping surveys, theory, opinion and experimental formats big and small. Each issue’s carefully curated cast of interdisciplinary artists, scientists, technologists and toolmakers will help us map exciting new territory that doesn’t need to be covered faster, but captured better. We’ve got ten exciting features in development and we’re ready to move into production. In order to do this, we need your help.

HOLO has just launched on Kickstarter and besides single issues and year long subscriptions, we have arranged for some truly great gifts for donors from Matthew Plummer-Fernandez, Eno Henze, Niklas Roy, Marius Watz, Zimoun, Derivative Inc., O’Reilly Media, Princeton Architectural Press, Shapeways and Sifteo.

Please support this project and make CAN better.

We are also please to announce that we are launching members area of CAN. Its purpose it not to create exclusivity but reward those that have helped and continue to help support HOLO and CAN. Last year we ran a fundraiser but besides a simple thank you, this year we want to do more. We want to work harder to continue to bring you more great content. For only $20 you will gain ad-free access to CAN, exclusive content, giveaways and much more. For you, less than a coffee a month – for us – the world. If you support HOLO (over $30), CAN membership is included. Important to mention also that for non-members, things don’t change. CAN will continue reporting and archiving most interesting work out there. You can read more about CAN membership here.

So, onto bigger and better things. Come along!

Your CAN/HOLO team: Greg, Alex and Filip

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16 comments on “What if CAN was a Magazine?

  1. 4:06 of pure pretentiousness… Bunch of smug “creatives” trying to call their magazine something else. IT’S JUST A MAGAZINE…

  2. I’d love to read your magazine, but I want to keep it after reading without having the storage space for it. A full PDF would be perfect. Any chance for a purely virtual edition?

      1. Greg, I would ask you to take this matter into consideration. While PDF might not be the most hip format for editorial work, it is still the most widely adopted and portable; in this sense, it would be quite ironic if you were to reject it on the basis of “shoehorning” and then proceed to release exclusively on one or two very specific platforms. I hope that you will at least consider some ways to make your work available on desktop machines and laptops, regardless of OS or ecosystem.

        1. Thank you for your thoughts, Lobster. While we do have a number of ideas about how to make our content available in digital environments, we haven’t made any definite format or platform decision yet. Until we have, rest assured, everything’s on the table. And we are happy to listen to what you guys think and want. Again, it’s to early for any announcements, but we’ll share our digital strategy as soon as we’re ready.