Conjunction is run by Nick Wood, a Fine Art graduate and Steven Paul Hedley, a Design Graduate. It was created from a combined interested in printed matter and a want to set up a collaborative platform for artists and writers.

The magazine is run as an open submission project, so we set a theme and people respond to it. We get a lot of very different work, from illustration to more factually driven essays so the theme helps to tie everything together and create a loose thread through the issue.

Conjunction takes its name from the astrological happening where two celestial bodies appear near each other in the night sky when in reality they are still light-years away. We liked the idea that Conjunctions are based on perspective rather than physically being that way – they are a human invention which feels like they are trying to break down huge distances into a basic idea or something relatable.

We thought it was a good metaphor for how people engage in and with creative practices. With this idea as the title, the publication aims to curate new artists’ and writers’ work with minimal intervention. We look at the pages much like a gallery wall; each page or spread has one image, which leads onto the next. It’s these basic and subtle narratives that we look for through the pages – a subtle glance between images or something in the background we can reveal by just placing one image next to another.

This idea leaks into an inclusion of printed ephemera with each issue. We like this as an extension of a bound issue. I think we were quite fascinated with the idea that most ephemera isn’t meant to be kept or preserved but somehow feels incredibly precious for that.

The next issue is on the theme of ‘Grief’ which is released in early October preceded by and event called ‘A Prelude to Grief’. This will be held in Oxford at The Keen Bean and there will be a presentation of readings on the theme.

The best place to pick up conjunction is from our online shop. We are also stocked in places in London and Oxford which are all listed on our website. Currently, we are sending out our Disco issues in foiled purple shiny jiffy bags, which pleases us greatly.

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