The Alpine Review

— 14th January 2013

by Jessica Bower

I first heard about The Alpine Review in October 2012. This publication is a hybrid between a magazine and a book, published bi-annually from Montreal. The first issue, released in October 2012, offers 286 pages of thoughtful reading that has attracted me to invest time and thought into the wide range of topics covered. I have carried the magazine around with me on trips and found it floating through my apartment as I continue to pick it back up and re-read articles. The tagline for the magazine is “Observing the things that matter.” To that end, The Alpine Review offers an incredible range of topics and views into different sectors of communities worldwide. What seems to be the over all mission of The Alpine Review is to represent the pulse of communities world wide — how individuals are creatively adjusting to the rapid changes of our times.

My initial attraction to the magazine was for its alluring design. The cover photo, ‘Girl on a Carousel’ by Nick Dewolf, embodies the determination of The Alpine Review to explore and conquer without fear of the challenges ahead. (Dewolf is the featured photographer of issue 1.) The layout is clean with thoughtful photos and illustrations accompanying each entry that are enriched by the heavy gloss paper stock. The magazine is as visually appealing with content and design as it is intellectually stimulating.

The theme for issue 1 comes from Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s 'Antifragility'. My attempt to paraphrase the essence of Antifragility goes a little like this: Something is antifragile, be it an organization, idea, people, ecosystem and so forth, if it is strengthened by change, disruption and/or challenges. Therefore, those elements of our societies containing the quality of antifragility have risen to the top during these challenging and ever changing periods of our existence. The creative team behind The Alpine Review has gathered a thoughtful array of rich content centered on this overarching theme including texts, interviews, idea pieces, and portfolio work.

Articles offer inside commentary of how individuals and businesses have successfully navigated to withstand changing environments and sectors. Reading through, one will quickly understand that antifragility is a desirable quality in any business or scheme in this day and age. How that can be implemented successfully in various endeavors is examined within these pieces. The Alpine Review has been inspirational as I contemplate steps for my career and business opportunities. In the words of the Editor-in-Chief, Louis-Jacques Darveau, The Alpine Review is here to provide “ideas and observations from people all around the world trying to make sense of things.” Consider issue 1 as a guide for mind-opening practices that can adjust and hopefully improve the way you see your community and how you approach interactions and conversations from day-to-day.

Two-thirds of the way through the issue, you come across the Ideas / Thinking section in pale green paper. Each page of this section is devoted to concise Issues covering topics of Design/Architecture/Urbanism, Economy/Business, Innovation/Tech, Newmaking, Retail and Society.

Each issue of The Alpine Review also includes a city focus. The city featured in issue 1 is Berlin. Reviews by locals of the best spots of Berlin are listed in detail along with a map of the city detailing where to find each must-go-to place, along with the best time of day recommended by the locals. A portfolio of photographs can also be found providing a delicious bit of interior design porn of creative workspaces in Berlin for those looking for inspiration.

Overall, The Alpine Review is a content-heavy, inspirational, and beautiful publication. It is obvious that the creative time behind the magazine has poured their energy into creating a strong work of print that will provide readers with encouragement and inspiration. In a world where the economy is always fluctuating and digital formats are taking over, The Alpine Review has made a strong stance for itself as a force to be reckoned with. If you are looking for thoughtful reading that will encourage conversation and thoughtful consideration of your community, then this inaugural issue of The Alpine Review should be first on your list.

• The Alpine Review on Magpile
• The Alpine Review, Autumn/Winter 2012, #1 on Magpile

Jessica Bower

is a lover of print and an arts management consultant who would love nothing more than to win the lottery and become a forever student. She can be found on twitter @jessieisarobot.

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