Drawing with nature in Fukt magazine
Drawing magazine Fukt gets a lot of attention for its cover designs, and rightly so. They’re clever and playful, and often involve an ambitious piece of production – the current issue, themed ‘Nature’, features die cut leaves, which the reader can fold out to create a lovely, shady, 3D plant effect.
Of course there’s a huge amount for readers to enjoy inside as well, with long, detailed interviews and features that unpack the theme and explore the artists’ influences. But reading this issue I realised that, even more important than the insight and analysis, is the curation and pacing of the stories.
For example I really enjoyed the interview between the magazine’s designer Ariane Spanier and garden designer Piet Oudolf – she designed his recent book for Phaidon, and she brings a deep interest and understanding to the piece, encouraging him to speak about drawing in his creative process, how he approaches a new project, and how he is responding to the changing climate. Following on from that long, in-depth interview is a selection of the Flamboyant Flowers created by artist Bjørn Lie; a piece with no text at all, which instead allows the big, textured, fanciful images to speak for themselves.
It’s brilliantly judged, and you can tell that Ariane and editor Bjørn Hegardt have been honing their craft for a long time (this 22nd issue comes 25 years after the magazine was first published). I hope the video above gives a sense of the variety and attention to detail that makes this magazine so special.
