Masthead Magazine is a new digital photo journal from Melissa Jones, hinged on the idea of making ‘leisure reading’ leisurely again.
Did you read that in New York Times? Did you examine that Medium post? Yeah I skimmed a story on Vanity Fair… In the world of “must-reads” and harassing (and usually misleading) headlines, the hurried sense of the internet can be overwhelming. A lot of words- a lot to think about.
That oppressive immediacy inspired tastemaker Melissa Jones of DTE Studio to launch Masthead Magazine, a new large-format digital publication that is designed to, according to Jones, “create a dialogue that inspires and allows us to consider ideas as a whole and with meaning for the long term.” In today’s post-it-all culture, we’re overwhelmed with words and images. The value of the image on the internet has diminished dramatically. On the subject of photos specifically, lame Instagram timelines have made us comfortable with mediocre takes and mediocre imagery. Masthead wants to return value to digital imagery. Jones: “[We want to] creat[e] something more evergreen and timeless rather than disposable and passing”.
Each issue will feature a celebrated photographer simply doing what they do best: shooting. You know Maurizio Cattelan’s Toilet Paper? That image-only magazine might be more humor than high fashion, but the image-dominant quality is shared with Masthead. The first issue of Masthead features with the work of Michael Avedon, dealing with the subject of Beauty. Pretty practical. The guests include gallerist Dominique Lévy, Klaus Biesenbach, TK Wonder and Cipriana Quann, Guggenheim favorite Francesco Clemente, Billie Eilish and more. It’s an intellectual and sensitive look at a word that can mean different things to different people. The shoot, warm and intimate, color the subjects with a curious energy and luxurious presence, in Avedon’s signature style.
The energy of the publication is languid, frank, and exploratory but ultimately soothing and beautiful. It’ll come in two issues per year each featuring different photographers. Tip: next issue will feature the work of Scottish photographer Albert Watson. You may know his work: he’s shot over 100 Vogue covers.
Check out a few exclusive images from the inaugural issue of Masthead Magazine, releasing tomorrow at www.mastheadmagazine.com.
