Paper for Emerging Architectural Research P.E.A.R

Matthew Butcher with Tom Noonan, courtesy of P.E.A.R.
A perspective section of “The Filter House” by Matthew Butcher, printed in the December issue of P.E.A.R. magazine.

From the article by Elias Redstone, at NYTimes Magazine on line:

The last few years have seen a new generation of alternative publications and editorial talent emerge, and London is very much a part of the scene. This month saw the release of the fourth issue of P.E.A.R. (Paper for Emerging Architectural Research). Printed on newspaper stock, this zine (included in “Archizines,” a show I curated at the Architectural Association School of Architecture) was started by the editorial collective of Rashid Ali, Matthew Butcher, Julian Krueger and Megan O’Shea, with the designer Avni Patel, in 2009. A few issues in, they have really hit their stride. “The paper aims to re-establish the fanzine as a primary medium for the dissemination of architectural ideas, musings, research and works, and to present the complexity and variety of architectural practice,” O’Shea explains. “We actively seek to publish thinking that wouldn’t ordinarily be seen in the mainstream architectural press, and we are interested in showing that the architectural is concerned with more than just architecture.”

Accordingly, they asked a variety of architects, artists, academics and writers to contribute texts and images relating to notions of dwelling, both as a physical and psychological space. The paper also sometimes comes alive through curated events. “While the paper is concerned with the relationship between architecture and publishing, and particularly with making tangible conceptual architecture, the events are more about thinking through performance,” O’Shea adds. “They activate the research and put the research into action.”