Layers of Meaning

esopus, a new vision

There's a new magazine, espopus, that breaks the mold for what a magazine could and should be. "Esopus is a twice-yearly arts magazine featuring fresh, unmediated perspectives on the contemporary cultural landscape from artists, writers, filmmakers, playwrights, photographers, architects, designers, musicians, and other creative professionals. It includes long-form artists’ projects, critical writing, fiction, interviews, and, in each issue, a CD of specially commissioned music."

The New York Times has an article describing the vision behind Esopus It's this vision that makes the magazine worth contemplation. One man decided to create a magazine that did not fit neatly into the established boundaries of what a magazine could be. "I'm really frustrated with the level of mediation that seems to shroud all artistic activity," he said, dipping a French fry into some mayo. "Popular music now ends up contextualized by car and sneaker commercials. The mixing and melding of advertising in magazines is pretty disturbing as well. I wanted to create some unfiltered space." (NYTimes) The current issue includes a popup house sculpture, several posters and a CD, along with articles ranging from fairy tales to artworks created with photochromatic ink.

The name? "The Esopus Foundation takes its name and example from the Esopus Creek, located in New York's Catskill mountains. It begins as a small stream and meanders north, then southeast, then northeast until it empties into the Hudson River. In the 19th century it was a powerful force that carved canyons along its course, but in the 1930's its current was intersected by the construction of the Ashokan Reservoir, which stores much of New York City's water supply. The part of the stream that runs below this filtering system is often brackish and slow-moving; but but above the reservoir, the Esopus is still vibrant: a pure dynamic space in which diverse elements flow and meld together."

From what I could tell, there is no fiber art in this journal. What there is though is a profound lesson in pushing the boundaries and making the impossible happen, if you have the vision.