Nordic creativity in Playground magazine
Austė Skrupskytė Cullbrand is creative director and editor of Playground magazine, the independent publication that fills its pages with stories about creativity and the creative industries. Based between Lithuania and Sweden, the magazine has always had a Nordic / Baltic character, but as it evolves it’s leaning further into its regional identity as a way to stand out on international newsstands. As Austė explains:
“Probably there is no [issue of] Monocle that doesn’t talk about Zurich or what happens in Geneva. And take Apartamento; they’re very strong with their Spanish heritage, like it’s clear they’re from Barcelona, it comes through. And we want to be clear that we have this Nordic starting point… We feel like maybe there is an open space for that on one hand. But on the other hand, we think it’s a nice project for us as well to find what is that identity we can bring from this part of the world into the publishing industry, and into the magazines.”
In the fifth issue, that means a city guide on Helsinki, featuring recommendations from local artists and makers, illustrated by Finnish artist Aliz Stocker. There’s a piece on the IKEA Museum in Stockholm, an interview with Danish creative entrepreneur Carla Camilla Hjort, and a visit to the studio of Swedish design agency Form Us With Love. But the most ambitious feature is a fashion story, featuring the new line of Playground-branded workwear, made in collaboration with Lithuanian children’s clothing brand OXOX Club, modelled by London-Malmö-based band Axnér, and photographed in a Swedish furniture factory.
The magazine is changing fast, so I took the opportunity of speaking with Austė to find out more about the innovations so far, and what they have planned for the future. You can hear the whole conversation on the podcast above, or watch it via the video below, and of course if you’d like to hear more independent magazine makers speaking about what they do, follow us on Spotify or YouTube, or follow us wherever you get your podcasts and we’ll deliver all our new episodes to you as soon as they’re ready.
