Clog #15, Guns
Founded in 2011, Clog came to our notice during this years Stack Awards. Published from NY, each issue take a single contemporary issue and examines it from as many perspectives as possible. Previous issues have looked at Apple, the World Trade Centre and Brutalism. This one takes on the more divisive issue of guns, objectively contemplating their aesthetic appeal, recreational use, political implications and primary function to kill.
Attempting to move the conversation around this topic away from the polarised opinions it usually generates, the issue begins with an index of different gun types, gun features, and parts, before continuing on to a timeline of key dates, including the first recorded use of gunpowder in Europe, and the introduction of different gun laws. The first few pages centre the gun historically, with pieces that look at how it took over from the crossbow, and how it came to be manufactured on a large scale.
At other times, statistics reveal the sinister reality of gun use; one graph shows peak times for buying guns, which usually goes hand in hand with mass shootings, terrorist attacks, and gun control legislation. Another graph shows the total number of guns per country, with those in the United States more than quadrupling that of any other place in the world. These moments of shocking information are relayed between images of ammunition packaging, a look at the gun as an artform, miniature firearms, and a diagram of pistol grips. All beautifully presented in a smart guidebook format.
Clog is very successful in its ability to present information from a wholly unbiased angle. The outcome is an issue that looks at a hugely divisive topic, and breaks it down to consider every facet. At some points, the gun is a lyric or emoji, in other sections it is a weapon responsible for killing millions of people. Clog’s commitment to presenting something just as it is, means the magazine can be enjoyed by a wide scope of people, and instead of forcing an opinion on to them, they are given the tools with which to formulate their own.
Editor-in-chief: Kyle May
Editors: Julia van den Hout, Jacob Reidel, Nate Patrick
Design: Archie Lee Coates IV, Jeff Franklin