Now, obviously, the past few weeks have been overshadowed by terrible news from Japan and Libya, which sometimes leave us at a loss as how to address them – what to say? Are we qualified to actually say anything? Not that we consciously decided not to address these issues, but I guess it’s been more a feeling of not really knowing how, what, when, that we kept talking about the things that we feel we know about, even though that as well sometimes felt slightly uncomfortable – is it really the time to talk about a new magazine when a nuclear reactor is close to meltdown?
Anyway, one of the moments that impressed me the most was when I heard that our beloved distributors in Japan, Utrecht, went through with a talk around our last issue on Dave Eggers, which they had been planning before the earthquake, and then were unsure whether it was really appropriate in the light of the developments. In the end, they decided to go ahead, and for some reason it was this small gesture of resistance I found really touching.
Utrecht have been very dedicated and doing great work as distributors, but they also have a wonderful little publishing imprint under the same name, and run a bookstore called Now Idea with an attached gallery space and café. In the midst of Tokyo mayhem, they have created a little oasis that is dedicated to the things they love: small, independent art books. And they won’t be deterred by anything, not even earthquakes, from sharing what they love. They have our deepest respect.
Now Idea
201, 5-3-8, Minami-aoyama
Minato-ku
Tokyo 107-0062
Japan
