YES TO ALL
If you lined up the last few issues of Der Greif on a bookshelf, you would get the impression of pleasing sameness; Der Greif is satisfyingly small in size, and the cover design and graphics rarely change. What’s inside, though, differs radically between issues. The magazine invites a new guest editor on board for every edition, which means that every issue is, in a funny sense, the last; it’s like the editor’s swan song.
Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury takes the reins this time, choosing to theme Der Greif 14 ‘YES TO ALL’. Originating as a computer command, that title became a “gesture towards freedom and openness after recent restrictions and limitations”, Fleury explains in her opening letter. That spirit of permissiveness extended to Fleury’s manner of composing the issue. Instead of selecting or rejecting submissions herself, Fleury used a pendulum (a weight suspended from a pivot, traditionally used for spiritual healing) to make editorial decisions for her.
The photos featured are fleshy and richly coloured, and the similarities between them are unsettling, considering the unconventional selection process.
Below we’ve photographed our favourite spreads.
