Orbital Studies #0
148 x 216 mm, 176 pages
Toronto, Canada
Editor-in-chief: Xavier Snelgrove
Art direction: AUTHENTIC
‘Ways of seeing the living world’
Founded by magCulture Flatplan alum Xavier Snelgrove, Orbital Studies is a literary science magazine featuring writing, philosophy, poetry, and art. Written for ‘readers who take pleasure in logical clarity as well as ecstatic insight,’ it’s devoted to a vision of enriching scientific inquiry.
This cheerful yellow inaugural issue confronts the intersection between science and meaning, purpose, and agency, inviting readers to slow down and consider the human questions prompted by scientific practice. Inside, Philip Ball leans on Nobel Laureate biologist François Jacob’s claim that ‘biologists no longer study life’ to illustrate the evolution of a more holistic era of ‘new’ biology; artist Sarah Nance ruminates on an influx of solar panels cropping up across rolling hills of suburban New York, reflecting on mirages and sharing a selection of sculptures from her practice; and, Spencer Chang presents his installation ‘Computing Shrines’, a meditation on the private and personal nature of our relationship to technology, which harnesses our solo digital experience as ‘an opportunity for spontaneous, intimate connection.’