Start Making Art: Print Media in a Digital Age

Phones. Discourse about phones. Social media. Hatred of social media. Desire to stay in touch. Feelings of distance and isolation from the world and other people, even as we look at everyone else’s lives every minute of the day. There are bright spots in this increasingly digital age — communities that want to break our reliance on screens and bring back conversations about art, fashion, photography, and each other. The desire to slow our lives down, to take a moment to appreciate each other and our passions — this is what it feels like to buy a copy of Stereoscope or Haute magazine.

We are all familiar with the student publications in this town — the application QR codes and new, digital editions coming out every two weeks. Haute and Stereoscope offer something different, though not entirely unique — a printed copy. For £2, you can buy an archival edition of Stereoscope or Haute, hold the magazine in your hand, and flip through the pages of curated photographs and writings.

What makes these publications feel so special? Why do they choose to print out their media rather than simply upload them onto a website? Why bear the higher costs and take the gamble that people will buy their magazines? I spoke to two contributors of these magazines to find out.

“[Printing is] a really beautiful way of making sure that people's writing and people's photography becomes tangible,” explained Maria de Feo, Editor-in-Chief of Haute. “Especially now, with a lot of magazines and publications being online, this risks being lost.” In printing, the reader has the chance to feel, rather than only see, the work.

With this tactile element comes the chance for even greater creativity on the part of the purchaser. “[When a magazine] is tangible, you can actually bring it with you everywhere, transform [it], do new things with [it],” de Feo said. Things like “magazine collaging and cutting the pages of a book.” Creativity doesn’t stay behind the screen, but becomes an important element of owning the book. The magazine becomes something the reader can enjoy in seemingly endless ways.

For Natalie Urusov, Graphics and Layout Editor at Stereoscope, the physical aspect of their magazine is also hugely important to their mission. Stereoscope is unique at St Andrews because it is funded by the Art History Department and draws largely from the University's special collections started by Sir David Brewster, Ursov explained. Brewster was a photographer in the nineteenth century who started a collection of photos for students and staff at the university to use.

Stereoscope does not only stick to this archival media collection, opening its applications to professors and researchers. “A lot of the photos that we use in Stereoscope are [...] submitted by students or [...] from the special collections,” Ursov said. “They're from different countries and different periods of time, and a lot of them are really niche and focused on a specific thing. In the last edition, we had scans of the inside of eardrums that were submitted.”

For both Stereoscope and Haute, it seems that there is nothing too niche to print, and that creativity is at the heart of each magazine. Along with this focus on the creative and a passion for art comes a sense of community. From large launch parties with DJs and poetry readings to stands outside the library selling their prints, both magazines are creating spaces for creativity. Students want a creative community that has passion and encourages weirdness, bravery, and authenticity, especially in a phase of life where it can feel like the entire world exists on LinkedIn or Instagram. “Buying a physical copy of a news or arts paper allows me to enjoy the content without it feeling like ‘phone time,’” said third-year Aniela Nowacka. “[It’s] not only about supporting my peers and their artistic work but giving myself a way to connect with the material in a better way than through the screen.”

Stereoscope’s launch party at the start of February proved this desire for community. “[There were] 65 seats [and] we sold out,” Urusov said. For £12 a ticket, selling out an event where the main attraction is a slow-paced, seated poetry reading is significant in this day and age.

What Stereoscope and Haute both represent is a knowledge that art and physical media have the power to connect us. Stereoscope invited photographer Graham Hutton to speak at their launch party: “We interviewed [him] in the [magazine] [...] and [he gave] a talk,” Ursov explained. “He is a photographer [who] is bound to a wheelchair because of his multiple sclerosis, and his photography helps him feel more eye-to-eye with people.”

De Feo also spoke of the aspect of community in Haute’s mission: “[What] we try to do is to offer a community that is not cliquey, and that is welcoming for everyone,” she said. “Even people who are just starting. We want to make sure that people who maybe do not have the time or the confidence to be permanent writers for publication can still have the chance to get their work read and to experiment.”

Outside of just the printed aspect of these magazines, there is a certain freedom that they encourage. De Feo spoke about this creative freedom, characterised by an “openness to trying” and an "openness to attempts,” when discussing the magazine’s mission. “Anyone can kind of attempt to turn in their work, anyone can try to learn,” she explained. “We wanted to be a space to learn, and not only to have a finished, perfect product.”

Similarly, De Feo said that “having artists experience their work becoming tangible and shareable is really important: It gives them the chance to genuinely communicate through their craft.” A certain community is created when these pieces are shared, and this specific type of community isn’t easily replicable outside of St Andrews, or even university, she said. “It's so difficult to do outside of uni, so I love that right now people have the relatively accessible chance to get their art out there.” She pointed out the importance of the printed magazines in bridging the gap between the artist/writer and the people viewing their work — a new community is formed.

Through their photographs and written pieces, Stereoscope and Haute show a world transformed through art, art made by students for students. This inspiration works both ways. “The aim is to inspire people and [to] take inspiration from submissions,” Ursov said. “I think the fact that [we have a] theme, that is usually pretty niche […] really encapsulates the creative [side].” Stereoscope’s themes, ranging from Subplot to Machina to Halcyon, encourage a new way of seeing the world, and from this new view, art.

When you hold both Stereoscope and Haute in your hands, it's hard not to feel inspired and connected. Students obviously crave this kind of creative and passionate expression, and the community that comes along with it. Creative print media is increasingly important in a world dominated by AI art and digital experiences that encourage detachment from not only the world but other people, and even ourselves. So, spend a few pounds to support creative students and maybe even take a few photos yourself.

Illustration by Isabelle Holloway