It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. But as images become more and more abundant, and as they are increasingly used as a simple means of communication, a thousand might seem a bit too much. After all, how many words can you find in a thumbs-up emoji? Safelight Paper, this month’s Surprise Subscription pick, is an act of resistance against this cultural decline in photography’s evocative power. Where the emphasis in modern image usage is on speed and convenience, Safelight Paper’s is on slowness and the basic fact that good things always come with time. Operating out of the eponymous Berlin camera store and film laboratory whose slogan is “Shoot Film, Stay Broke”, the magazine actively strives to make pictures worth a thousand words again. More

Sensing Earth looks at how to act and work as an artist and cultural practitioner in a world in crisis. From global warming to social and mental health issues. The book contains essays, interviews, poems, manifestos, choreographic sketches, speculative fiction and case studies, all at the intersection of art and activism, culture and nature. All texts explore what sensory foundations are necessary to address systemic failures and what paths can be taken to keep us moving on this planet - physically, emotionally and intellectually.⁠ Buy

From ecology to fermentation, in pop culture and in medicine―mushrooms are everywhere. And that with good reason, because they are incredibly fascinating! The kind-of-until-now-overlooked kingdom of fungi captivates us through hidden network communication and holds incredible potential for the future, from decontaminating landscapes and waterways to achieving food security.⁠ ⁠ This mind-expanding book uncovers a vanguard of mycologists: growers, independent researchers, ecologists, entrepreneurs, and amateur enthusiasts exploring and advocating for fungi’s capacity to improve and heal.⁠ Buy

Cyberfeminism, in its broadest sense, refers to a collection of emancipatory theories and practices that promote an alliance between feminist practice and technology. The use of the term "cyberfeminism" can be traced back to 1991, the year some call the birth of the internet. ⁠ ⁠ With the Cyberfeminism Index, Mindy Seu has created a reference work that pays tribute to the diversity of practices that fall under this imperfect categorisation and makes visible the long-ignored origins of cyberfeminism and its far-reaching legacy. It includes more than 700 short entries of radical techno-critical activism. However, those who expect this book - it is titled index afterall - to provide analysis will wait in vain. Given the rhizomatic spirit of the project, it is left to the reader to piece together the shape of the discourse.⁠ Buy

It’s the height of summer and therefore travel time. And where is the soul – at least, the German soul! – drawn to, if not to Bella Italia? A sun-kissed tapestry of rolling vineyards, ancient olive groves, and cobblestone streets winding like whispered secrets through charming villages… If that was already too many clichés in the first paragraph, just read on, because there’s a whole lot more to our little travel-on-the-mind August edition of our Surprise Subscription. More

Human inventions have always carried the desire for a machine to do the work for us. From the windmill that made millers dream of a nap in the sun while the latest technology did its work, to the washing machine that was seen as liberating women. We all know by now that these wishes have not really come true. It is true that some tasks, often hard work, are taken over by the latest technology, but this does not give us less work and more free time, rather we fill this free time with other work. Some call this efficiency, we call it stupid. ⁠ ⁠ But apart from that, there is another phenomenon to discover. Instead of dreaming about the liberation of work through technology, people have become increasingly afraid that this technology will replace them. Not so Amber Husain! In her intelligent and lively essay Replace Me, she explores how late capitalism is guided by fears and fantasies of replacement. 'Power and replaceability have long constructed each other,' she writes in an early passage.⁠ But she not only explores the construct of replaceability that is meant to keep us small and in fear, she also explains the futility of engaging - let alone competing - in a replacement economy. ⁠ ⁠ ⁠ This book was published in 2021, before the introduction of ChatGPT and the like, and yet it could not be more current.⁠ Buy

The International Library of Fashion Research is a most comprehensive archive of specialised fashion research and contemporary fashion publications. Founded in 2020, the library fills a gap in the preservation of and critical engagement with printed fashion culture. And because this is a project of Elise by Olsen, who at the age of just 13 became the youngest editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine and has since launched several print publications, there is also a series of thin pamphlets accompanying the International Library of Fashion Research. These explore the overarching, critical themes of the fashion world that run like a thread through the library's publications, such as the decentralisation of fashion, but also themes more directly related to print, such as the art of the press release or the translation of something as tactile and emotional as fashion into the two-dimensional world of print.⁠ ⁠ Buy

The teenage years are a tumultuous and thrilling time of self-discovery, and many artists have endeavored to capture the fleeting moments of youthful exuberance and awkward grace. Alon Shastel is one such artist, whose photographs feature carefree adolescents lounging on fruit-laden trees or splashing in misty seas. With a keen eye for light and shadow, Shastel imbues his images with a sensual quality that stirs the senses, while his ability to capture his subjects’ intense gaze conveys a raw and intimate emotion that resonates deeply.⁠ ⁠ Buy

Founded in 1969, the art group General Idea is best known for its conceptual and media-based art and its activist initiatives related to the AIDS crisis. But do you also know their drawings?⁠ ⁠ The wonderful booklet we are holding in our hands is entitled A Rare Gift of the Tropics. The drawings in it were all done by Jorge Zontal during the group's brainstorming meetings, however, given General Idea's mandate for co-authorship (and as the "GI" signature affixed by Zontal shortly before his death also proves), as well as the circumstances under which they were created, they are considered a collaborative work.⁠ ⁠ If you would like to go beyond these wonderful drawings to get a more comprehensive overview of this revered and subversive Canadian queer collective, simply swipe to find the large retrospective in book form.⁠ ⁠ And now take a close look at the drawing on the cover. Have you already figured out what is depicted on it?⁠ ⁠ Buy

What makes a good listener? Is it a skill that can be easily learned, or is it rather a personality trait or just talent? And why do some people seem to be so much better at it than others? ⁠ ⁠ Uneasy Listening, written by a psychoanalyst and a violin maker, is a dialogue between two very different kinds of professional listeners: one works with speech, the other with musical instruments. Anouchka Grose and Robert Brewer Young, complete strangers at first, embark on an engaging, entertaining and intricate meditation on communication that makes wide-ranging references to psychoanalytic theory, philosophy, contemporary politics and culture. As they discuss the differences, similarities and resonances between their practices, they encounter some of the illuminating difficulties of dialogue itself.⁠ ⁠ Buy

We just love Real Review! The essays are always fantastic, they deal with topics that represent our times, but in a completely unexpected way. They take unlikely subjects and connect them to current theories. Like the girlish giggle - and the concept it represents. The girlish giggle is not what is being written and talked about everywhere. But the concept of girl- or womanhood is, and in that way Real Review taps into the super-current feminist discussion. And in an example from the current issue, Real Review explores the connection between our hunger for technological updates and our need to constantly update our (online) selves to stay current. So this magazine is a great, and honestly entertaining, way to broaden your perspective.⁠ ⁠ But apart from that, we just love the design and the folded pocket format (it actually fits in the back pocket of your jeans) that allows you to take it anywhere. Because, guess what, this magazine doesn't want to be sitting untouched on your coffee table. It wants to be read. Until all the pages are crumpled.⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Buy

“Slowing down” has become a kind of buzzword in social media. And as it is with buzzwords and actually everything social media related, they get annoying very quickly. And although you might build up a resistance to everything that is imposed on you (or is it just us with our scratchy Berlin mentality?), there is actually nothing wrong with the concept of slowing down. And that's where the Journal du Thé comes in. This wonderful magazine about contemporary tea culture does just that. It conveys a sense of calm. Without patronising. Without even telling you to be. And honestly, we have no idea how they do it. Maybe it's the transference of the traditional and ceremonial nature of tea into the contemporary. Maybe it's the simple layout. Maybe it's the textured paper that mutes all the colours. Maybe it's the concept of serenity we associate with tea.⁠ ⁠ Whether it's all the reasons listed above or none of them that affect our feelings, this magazine is a wonderful example of what print can do to us.⁠ ⁠ The Chinese philosopher Laozi expressed that the teapot is useful for what cannot be seen - the empty space within it. Likewise, this publication sets out to explore space – in this case, the space surrounding a cup of tea. With a curious and playful eye, Journal du Thé investigates the palette of cultures and feelings contained within tea practices and their power to overcome borders.⁠ ⁠ So make yourself comfortable in a cosy place with this magazine (and a cup of tea, if you like) and be just like a teapot...⁠ ⁠ ⁠ We mold clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that makes the vessel useful.⁠ We fashion wood for a house, but it is the emptiness inside that makes it livable.⁠ We work with the substantial, but the emptiness is what we use.⁠ - Laozi - Tao Te Ching, chapter 11⁠ ⁠ ⁠ Buy