Alternative: Seeing

Author: Carlo Rosso, Italy Production Team
Photos by: Gan Lei / Zhao Nan Editing
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-12-01
Features: Due to change, the emerging "Visual 21" magazine, which gained prominence between 1999-2002, has been transformed. Many insights revealed that many readers still hold expectations for that somewhat unconventional publication. Therefore, we have repurposed "Visual 21" into a series of books. Unlike the original magazine, the current "Visual 21" series will be purely image-driven, with each volume focusing on a specific theme—or, it will shed the magazine's relative diversification to become a pure "visual reading" book. Of course, the series will no longer adhere to a fixed monthly publication schedule but will instead be released relatively steadily several times a year.
What remains connected to the original magazine: The series will continue to wield images as a powerful tool, delighting in spreading "a different perspective on the world," expressing individuality, pursuing vitality, carrying messages, and shaping societal norms. It will provide knowledge, leisure, education, and services to young HIPPIES and YUPPIES across the world. It will continuously and broadly showcase the highly infectious visual representations of the changes and conflicts in our contemporary living world, such as fashion, idols, brands, consumption, art, the alternative, gaming, and the dynamics of environment, culture, wealth, war, and more.
I remember a reader once reviewed the original "Visual 21": "A bit flamboyant, a bit confrontational, and a bit ironic." Indeed, we are often deeply moved by the courage and wisdom of the world's outstanding image creators, and we admire the many excellent media worldwide for the splendid visual storytelling they provide for human life. We too wish to join the ranks of expressing creativity and opinions, but due to our awkwardness and helplessness, we can only achieve so much.
Some have also said: "Visual 21" is avant-garde and unconventional. In fact, the development and changes of the times have far exceeded the original understanding of many people. Who knew that the mainstream things we now recognize and pursue were once things we desperately rejected. Imagine a society that is constantly evolving and coexists in diversity—how could it lack the avant-garde and the unconventional?
For example, when "wearing" becomes overly saturated and fails to express desire, people begin to "unwear," seeking to shed the dark for the light to demonstrate openness, and thus, nudity becomes increasingly popular. In this way, things once opposed are transformed from the alternative and avant-garde into widely embraced fashion. Isn't that right? What we aim to do is replicate the various changes occurring in the world and the many differences that exist. Under limited conditions, we hope to introduce to young readers the courage and wisdom that inspire us, along with their brilliance. Otherwise, it would be far worse to fabricate and popularize things lacking personality and substance, wasting everyone's money and time.