Hot fifty – The Drawbridge

In this age of on-line blogs, it is refreshing to see an independent magazine that gives good copy on a mix of cultural and social issues and blends it with great art direction.

The Drawbridge is such a beast. Edited by Bigna Pfenninger, the quarterly broadsheet aims to create a platform for new and experienced writers and a raft of photographers, illustrators and artists, and handles content with intelligence and wit. It boasts Stephen Coates as creative director, illustrator Paul Davis as drawings editor and Millie Simpson as picture editor.

Its format has been compared to that of the original Independent newspaper, designed by Mike Dempsey, then at CDT Design. It is a stimulating read, but also a rare repository of illustration and photography.

Each edition follows a broad theme that is timely, but not tied directly into global news. The latest issue – the magazine’s seventh, published in December 2007 – takes the theme of ‘risk’. Image creators whose work complements the lengthy articles on the theme include David Shrigley, Jeff Fisher, Cheryl Taylor, Leanne Shapton, Toby Morrison and photographers Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin.

The Drawbridge is a subscription title, but it is also available free of charge to members of London members’ club Blacks, whose proprietor Giuseppe Mascoli funds the venture currently and is a contributing editor.

http://www.thedrawbridge.org.uk/