SUBAUD MAGAZINE

The fitzroy zine scene circa early noughties...

I stumbled across a photocopied architectural discourse magazine in a bookstore, had some weird alcohol in a dark loft somewhere in Flinders Lane with the creators, convinced them to let us design the next issue and pumped out every edition until it died.

Subaud Magazine was an independent, non-profit, nationally distributed publication based in Melbourne that began as a reaction to an architectural print culture dominated by the glossy publication boom in the late nineties. The first edition was released in April 2002. It was anti-establishment, punk, smarts and handmade on a photocopier. The creators were called Dire Tribe, formed by - Mark Raggatt (@thebabelfiasco), Christos Kastaniotis and some mates. Dire Tribe and Urchin shared similar creative collective attributes with each of us so very different at the same time.

The potent combination saw us spiralling into the depths of illegibility and over indulging in design possibilities, pushing the limits and testing the patience of our printers. Each edition was a different theme and took on a form derived from the content. Different forms included: hand sewn news tabloid style, book, poster/poncho, ikea crate packaging (handmade at a sheltered workshop).

The takeaway from this is in the story above and the images. In total there were about 10 of us working on this project and the architects and designers crossed over on the articles to create something we all felt proud of. I am fond of this project and it's timeless to me because it captured the spirit of why we existed and the joy you can get working amongst like minded people.

Shane!

Truly, it brought a tear to my eye.

That amazing book reminded me just how much fun we had working on Subaud with you all.

Those were formative years for me and so much of what we did still holds true to me now. Seeing it all packaged up so beautifully was a wonder and a marvel. 

You can’t have known, but it was my birthday the day before, so it felt like a birthday gift as well!  One of those rare and thoughtful gifts that cut through the wish lists into something deeper.

I cannot thank you enough, either for this great gift or for the pleasure of working with you.  I hope we can do it all again one day!

All the very Best,

Mark Raggatt
Associate

ARM ARCHITECTURE