The Home

Is Where People Become Their True Selves.

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曾讀過一個《B》的編輯訪問,她說《B》就像一部部紀錄片。

《B》是一本總部位於南韓的雜誌,以韓英雙語兩個版本發行,每期會選定一個品牌作深度挖掘,他們有獨自一套觀看方式,品牌得先通過編輯團隊們的選擇標準 —— 在這四方面之間達到平衡:實用性、美學、價格合理、原創哲學。且從2011年11月創刊以來從沒改變,堅持雜誌內不登任何廣告以免影響內容。曾出版過很多厲害的期號:Muji、Ikea、Lego、Aesop、Martin Margiela、Youtube、Instagram等等。

品牌大多位於國外,常常在定好計劃後於採訪中途會遇上很多不確定性,然而,這種時候只能硬著迎接,在流動裡抓住意料之外,然後沿路發掘,便會變成之後最有趣的點。之所以像紀錄片也是因為這種真實的時間性、與現實生活同步的、實時性。

聽起來是種關係,在品牌與讀者間,有一種像是拿著漏斗接住水滴的關係。譬如說,一間屋裡、或一個家族,其實也像個大水瓶,當另一個人走進來,水流動了,裡面的分子也亂了,需要些時間回歸平靜。每個存在也是參與,即使是在觀察。這是為何《B》會好看,因為團隊拿著了漏斗。

I once came across an interview in which the editor of the magazine, B, commented that their publication is like a documentary.

With its headquarters based in South Korea, B is published in both Korean and English with each issue being an in-depth and unique exploration of one global brand. To be featured in the magazine, the selected brand has to strike a perfect balance between the four standards as set by the editorial team: beauty, practicality, price, and philosophy. Since its debut in November 2011, B has stayed ad-less and produced some really insightful analysis on brands like Muji, Ikea, Lego, Aesop, Martin Margiela, Youtube, and Instagram.

The interview process is full of uncertainty due to most of B’s featured brands being based overseas. While persevering through the difficulties is the only available option, the crew from B always manages to explore, even among turbulence, and turn the unexpected into something meaningful and interesting. Being real-time and contemporaneous to the here and now is why each issue of B comes across like a documentary.

The relationship between a brand and the reader is like someone holding a funnel to catch drops of water. Let me explain: A house or a family is like a big water bottle; when someone enters, the water moves and the molecules within turn chaotic, and it takes time for the water to return to its natural calm state. Being present is a way of participating, even if you are only observing. This is why B is such a good read: they are holding a funnel.

這本《The Home》是在《B》因疫情短暫停刊後再度出版的刊物,也正因疫情而生。團隊過往常打趣說,他們每個月的死線,即使是在戰爭期間該也是個無法動搖的慣性,然而這次正好驗證了某種不可抗力。在留家時間伸長到像長頸鹿脖子的日子裡,團隊也默默走訪了大約10個不同人的家,包括美國電影導演Ned Benson、哥本哈根服裝品牌Ganni的夫妻團隊Ditte與Nicolaj Reffstrup。

「人在自己的空間裡最自在,在那裡我們會瞧見平日看不見的東西。」像在門縫若隱若現,讓人想偷偷看。「一個真正好的家就是能真實映照屋主特質。家是無窮的反覆試驗,或許世上沒有完全完成了的家,因為家會隨著住的人改變,只會一直累積轉變。」 —— 《B》創辦人Suyong Joh

家裡的鏡子與外面的鏡子,照起來不就總是不一樣嗎。

This latest issue of B, which is titled “The Home”, was published after the magazine’s temporary publication suspension due to the pandemic. The team jokes about how stringent they are with meeting deadlines that even a war wouldn’t cause them a delay in publishing. Yet, the pandemic has overpowered these seemingly unshakable deadlines. During the lockdown when most retreated into their homes, the team visited more than ten homes, including those of the American film director Ned Benson, and Ditte and Nicolaj Reffstrupthe, the husband-and-wife duo from the Copenhagen-based clothing brand, Ganni.

As B’s founder Suyong Joh said, “The home is where people become their true selves, and I think a good home is a place that really reflects the essence of the people living there.” There is always an urge to peek through the door crack, trying to take a glimpse of people’s lives. “Building a good home is the result of inevitable trial and error. Maybe there’s no such thing as a completed home because home evolves constantly alongside the people living in it. And the changes in each home also stack up over time.”

Don’t you feel that you look different in the mirror at home than in the mirror somewhere else?

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