Sando is a Japanese sandwich. Kind of like those fluffy, mushy Tramezzini. But in typical Japanese creativity – the Sando has undergone a makeover in recent years. They come with all kinds of fillings and taste patterns. From the classic Tonkatsu Sando to the sweet version filled with fruit and even crème caramel.⁠ ⁠ With their slightly sweet, pillowy milk bread and adventurous filling, Cult Sando takes this humble sandwich with its vintage aesthetics to new heights. ⁠ Buy

"Closed due to colonialism, elitism, and a private dinner"⁠ This killer subtitle of the museum issue of Spike Art Magazine alone makes us want to drop everything and take a very long, extended bathroom break with this magazine.⁠ ⁠ But while Spike takes on the current discussion about colonialism and elitism that is rightly being had about museums, they are also writing a love letter to these very institutions. They believe that the museum is at a turning point.⁠ ⁠ For Spike magazine, it is either dawn or dusk for the museum. If it's dawn, it could be the beginning of a new chapter, a chapter where the museum takes all the criticism and evolves into something new. But if the semi-darkness the museum is in right now is actually the dusk, then this issue is its eulogy.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ "You can be a museum," Gertrude Stein told MoMA's founding director, "or you can be modern, but you can't be both."⁠ Buy

Few life skills are as neglected, yet as important, as the ability to remain calm. Our very worst decisions and interactions are almost invariably the result of a loss of calm – and a descent into anxiety and agitation. Surprisingly, but very fortunately, our power to remain calm can be rehearsed and improved.⁠ ⁠ The School of Life focuses on psychological education by explaining difficult emotional and psychological patterns and often breaking them down into helpful advice. It was founded by the philosopher Alain de Botton. Buy

Meantime's design never fails to make us laugh! The last issue looked like someone had taken a bite out of it, this one looks like it is sinking into our shelves...⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ They keep pushing the boundaries of what we expect a magazine to look like. And they clearly have fun doing it. Absolutely in love!⁠⁠ Buy

A pidgin language is a grammatically simplified means of communication that normally develops between people that do not have a language in common. It is built from words, sounds, or are an onomatopoeia. Typically its vocabulary and grammar are limited and often drawn from several languages. So it is not the native language of any speech community, but a simplified means of linguistic communication, as it is constructed impromptu, or by convention, between individuals or groups of people.⁠ ⁠ In this compelling book, renowned museum director, curator and author Dr Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung proposes that pidgin languages and pidginisation as a way of being and doing offer a decolonised reinvention of communicative practices - a space where the boundaries between disciplines of knowledge fall and socio-political, economic, ethical and spiritual concepts and issues are renegotiated. Written as a series of engaging anecdotes, the book grounds its provocative ideas in personal, cultural and political histories of challenge and improvisation, arguing, as Ndikung writes, that 'pidginised curating is curating that combines works, ideas, practices and languages in resistance to canonical conventions, cultural stasis, ossified practices, dead rhythms and singular forms'. Buy

In 1987, more than 30 of the era’s most acclaimed artists – including Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein, Salvador Dalí, and Keith Haring – designed unique and fully operational fairground attractions for the first-ever art amusement park.⁠ ⁠ Initiated by Austrian Artist André Heller and set on the outskirts of Hamburg, Luna Luna was a lively fantasyland of once in a lifetime artworks. You could ride a carousel by Keith Hering, Jean-Michel Basquiat's Ferris wheel and glide through David Hockney's geometric forrest pavilion.⁠ ⁠ But the summer of 1987 came to an end - and so did Luna Luna. What was meant to become a global travelling show became the art history's best kept secret.⁠ Buy

Mexican artist Damián Ortega has constructed one hundred masks from everyday materials. Made from bottle caps, bits of string, tortillas, pumpkin skins, cactus leaves and coins, this strange gang of characters has a distinctly Mexican aesthetic. Whether it is the use of local Mexican materials or the resemblance to the masks of Los Luchadores, the Mexican wrestlers, this paranormal masquerade will put a smile upon your face.⁠ ⁠ Buy

03 After months and months of dark and cold and a general feeling of “meh”, we here at do you read me?! are happy to report that spring has arrived. Let’s celebrate, let’s hit the road, let’s go to Paris! After having focused on cities as far-ranging as Taipei and São Paulo, Flaneur–the legendary travel publication, and this month’s Surprise Subscription pick–is taking on the City of Lights, and the results are honestly exceptional.  More

Im Jahr 2021 hielten Künstlerin, Forscherin und Kuratorin Moshtari Hilal und politische*r Geograf*in Sinthujan Varatharajah einen Vortrag auf Instagram Live, in dem sie über die Ausbreitung der englischen Sprache in Berlin diskutierten. Ob in Cafés oder Restaurants, Museen und Kunsträumen, auf der Straße oder im Bürgeramt, die englische Sprache ist überall präsent - auch in unseren eigenen Newslettern, Rezensionen und sozialen Medien! Es ist einfach eines dieser Dinge, die Berlin seinen kosmopolitischen Glanz verleihen.  Aber es gibt auch eine Kehrseite der Dinge, und die bringen Hilal und Varatharajah in ihrem Vortrag ans Licht, welcher von Wirklichkeit Books in diesem strahlend blauen Reader in eine physische Form gebracht wurde.  More

In 2021, artist, researcher and curator Moshtari Hilal and political geographer Sinthujan Varatharajah held a talk on Instagram Live, where they discussed the prevalence of the English language in Berlin. Whether in cafes or restaurants, museums and art spaces, spoken on the street or in the Bürgeramt, it’s everywhere - also in our own newsletters, reviews and social media! It’s one of the things that gives Berlin its cosmopolitan shine. But there’s another side to things, and this is what Hilal and Varatharajah bring to light in their talk, given physical form by Wirklichkeit Books in this striking blue reader.  More

Welcome to the fascinating E-1027, the modernist escape designed by Eileen Gray at the Côte d'Azur. No other house embodies architecture and design history, intimacy, shared creativity, and even toxic masculinity quite like E-1027.⁠ ⁠ The name E-1027 is a code created by Gray and her lover, Jean Badovici. The 'E' stands for Eileen, '10' for Jean, '2' for Badovici, and '7' for Gray. It was their way of showing their relationship as lovers. The flat-roofed modernist masterpiece is the built embodiment of that love, but shortly after its completion, the couple split. However, the end of their relationship was not the end of the story of this house.⁠ ⁠ Badovici was a close friend of Le Corbusier and invited him to the house on several occasions. One summer, Le Corbusier painted all over the flat white modernist walls, sometimes in the nude. The murals infuriated Gray, who saw them as outright vandalism. And many art historians agree and view Le Corbusier's actions as a demonstration of domination, akin to a dog marking its territory. It is believed that Le Corbusier was jealous of the masterpiece, especially because it was designed by a woman. The house became an obsession of his, he even tried to purchase it many times but failed. ⁠ ⁠ It's impossible to identify the exact individual contributions of Gray or Badovici to this iconic piece of architecture. But for years, it was believed that Badovici was the sole mastermind, and some even thought that Le Corbusier had designed the house. A woman clearly could have not created such an archetype of modernist architecture, so the believe. So this house, meant to be a lovers' hideaway, became a great example of misogyny in architecture and society.⁠ ⁠ Jürgen Beck’s photographs of the house in "Sun Breakers" capture the original concept of the house. Its intimacy, its expression of openness, its flexible structure to accommodate the rhythm of the days. He captures the overgrown paths that take him to the house, sun drenched walls and leafy shadows. Beck directs our eye to Gray's design that takes into consideration people’s emotional needs.⁠ ⁠ In the words of Eileen Gray, "Formulas are nothing; life is everything." ⁠ Buy

Typologie, a captivating collection of design books that delve into the essence of everyday objects, has just released its fourth issue, and it's all about the humble wooden crate. We often encounter crates at outdoor markets. Stacked up like scaffolding and laid out on stalls, they are used to transport and display fruits and vegetables. Our eyes wander from leeks to turnips, while we tend to overlook these simple yet ingenious objects: a few slats of poplar wood, stapled together in perfect efficiency and function. Although this classic design has been around for over sixty years, its principle has remained more or less unchanged.⁠ ⁠ Partnering with The Vitra Design Museum, Typologie showcases 45 striking photographs printed in bichromie, 30 colorful illustrations, a thought-provoking text by Alexandre D'Orsetti, and a fascinating interview featuring Philippe Weisbecker, a French artist, Pierre Cornu, a historian, and Jean-Luc Baley, the director of a wooden crate factory. This issue meticulously inventories the crate's various shapes, manufacturing process, and history, bringing to life the enduring relevance of this often-overlooked object. If you're curious about the world around you and love thoughtful design, you won't want to miss Typologie's latest issue. Buy