Uppercase #69
222 x 280 mm, 132 pages
Calgary, Canada
Quarterly
Publisher, editor & designer: Janine Vangool
‘For the creative and curious’
Published quarterly, Uppercase is a joyful attempt to boost its readers’ creativity. As Janine Vangool, the woman behind the mag explains, the publication is ‘a playful exploration of creativity, an affinity for vintage ephemera, and a love of typography.’
Commemorating 17 years in print, this edition examines how basic building blocks can yield infinite interpretations. Take for instance, New York artist Whitney Crispell’s ‘Courthouse Steps’ quilt—the cover feature this issue and part of an ambitious series dedicated to the creative challenge of completing a quilt a week for an entire year—which is centred around a focal yellow square. In her opening letter, Janine eloquently interprets this yellow core ‘as the ‘self’ from which everything else is anchored’. Nurturing our creative essence is also a recurring theme throughout the rest of the issue, with further features spotlighting embroidery as an intergenerational practice; illustrator and independent publisher Meera Lee Patel’s sketchy journey to self-discovery; and, the double life of Marlene Liddle—Director of the Lands Stewardship Department for the Council of the Haida Nation and master weaver.