Agapius #2
262 x 370 mm, 44 pages
London, England
Annual
Editors-in-chief: Charlie Hills & Kay Basil Fletcher
Design: Charlie Hills
An independent title that sets out to explore contemporary culture and geopolitics, Agapius riffs off the newspaper format in size and paper stock, and is comprised of features penned by both co-editors and a healthy roster of contributors including, in its current edition, artist Jeremy Deller and Lebanese singer-songwriter Rogér Fakhr.
This sophomore edition of Agapius arrives after a sell-out debut, a year later, and ‘better than the first in practically every way,’ according to co-editor Charlie Hills, in one of two pithy letters that introduce the issue. Taking a sideways glance at the dissonance between past and present—between ‘old ways’ and technologically augmented new ones—issue two includes a feature on the relationship between London’s heritage landmarks and its sky scraping counterparts; a recollection of 35 hours spent traversing a failed luxury development complex nestled in a Turkish mountain range; and an investigation into alchemical diamonds. Elsewhere, the paper tackles brain rot slang, the pitfalls of a perfect playlist, and the Cockney ‘Hopping’ holiday—harnessing a tone of voice that straddles curiosity and healthy cynicism throughout.