Hasta La Ideas

A Singaporean magazine takes their pages to the arcade and more

A publishing concept that bridges print, digital and display mediums like touchscreen or arcade console, Singapore’s free, quarterly Kult Magazine by creative agency Kult 3D is set to release its sixth art-centric issue with a theme focused on extinction. Concerned about how quickly animals are disappearing due to the hands of man, it presents a visual discussion on their value through interesting facts and thought-provoking graphics.

The staff at Kult 3D decide upon the different themes based on their topicality; for example, a previous issue on AIDS was sponsored by Singapore’s Health Promotion Board as part of its education campaign on the subject. Kult 3D then culls artists and graphic designers—mostly in Asia, to help provide them with a platform—who present their own takes on the subject, and the results become part of the magazine.

The agency then takes the artworks and turns them into interactive pieces that can be experienced on the Kult Artcade, an ’80s-style arcade console whose current location is at the Know It Nothing boutique on Singapore’s Haji Lane.

Also at that location until the end of June is a touch screen display hanging in the window where passers-by can swipe and drag elements of the artworks to activate fun and surprising animations of the Fortune issue. Made using UBIQ technology, the project was a special commission from the store as part of its ever-changing window display project.

“We identify technology that we want to explore then we adapt the content to best suit the medium. The interactive window display makes the magazine accessible to a wider audience. By having a theme for each issue, it helps the viewer to understand the work, thus improving the wider public’s visual literacy,” said Kult Creative Director Steve Lawler.

Those not stopping in Singapore anytime soon can still engage in the interactive version via the website. The issue comes out early June 2011, but readers outside of Singapore can subscribe and just pay the postage.