This week we're browsing through the magazine racks, looking at what Canadian cultural magazines have to offer. Yesterday I scanned Canadian Art and today I'll be diving into Azure, a magazine primarily devoted to Canadian architecture and design.

This is one of those publications that you don't really need to read to understand since the pictures tell more than a thousand words. If you want to know what the latest trend in chairs is, you've got extensive product shots. If you're interested in architectural lines and materials, again tons and tons of photographs. The magazine is pleasing to the eye, the paper is a heavy stock, and the size (13 x 91/2") makes Azure the kind of publication you're likely to keep on your coffee table for quite some time.

Another plus for the publication is the sheer breadth of topics covered. The summer issue covers furniture (the explosive popularity of ottomans and a look at the return of the lounge chair), urban planning (a great piece on Montreal's Place d'Youville), and lots of architecture (a study of Saucier et Perrotte's new College Gerald-Godin is especially intriguing). The magazine reaches into international territory with a look at London's Eye and a great section of new furniture design from France. While Parisians are known for being traditionalists when it comes to design, there appears to be a group of young turks currently challenging the status quo. The lines, materials and colours are vibrant and incredibly exciting.

The latest edition of Azure also contains an in-depth feature on design wunderkind Karim Rashid (move over Philip Starck, there's a new kid in town), plus a look at bicycle, automobile and even stroller design. As far as the quality of writing, this publication definitely ascribes to the "less is more" school of thought. The publishers (and I think they're correct for this type of mag), realize that people read design magazines for hits of what's going on. I don't think the writing's superb, but it's certainly adequate, and I applaud the folks at Azure for digging up such a vast and interesting array of topics to cover.

Digging That Dirt
There's an outdoor exhibit currently underway in Toronto that certainly puts a new twist on the notion of urban landscaping. Harbourfront invites visitors to take a walk down garden paths created by a group of artists to see: "an abundance of vegetation bursting through installations of televisions, rubble and steel, and occasionally dipping into a new form of genetic modification in this landscape that appeals to mind and soul." Some of the artists featured are musician Mark Ganes, Kai Chan, Matthew Talbot-Kelly, Linda Irvine and Frank Infante.

Harbourfront Centre
235 Queens Quay W.
(416)973-3000
Until October
Free

Fine Tuning
Beam Me Up Scotty: Trekkies should be sure to catch Life and Times tonight, as the program features a behind the scenes look at Captain Kirk (aka William Shatner.) The show will talk about his time on the bridge, Shatner's work as a novelist and animal rights activist, plus an examination of the private citizen. 9 p.m. on CBC-TV

Drop me a line.

Archives: We've got news and reviews in our previous Arts Alerts