Future Fossil Flora dives into the creative culture and history of flowers, and looks at how they influence our culture in modern times. It brings together different voices from around the world, exploring different perspectives of the same flower in one issue and how flowers inspire artists and writers today.
Future Fossil Flora follows the popular niche trend of one subject magazines such as McGuffin which looks at the life of objects, one at a time. Was this always a conscious decision and if so why and what influenced it?
The concept of Future Fossil Flora was consciously developed to explore flowers from a creative angle. As a photographer, flowers have been my muse and inspiration, and I loved reading about them for research. However I found it a challenge to find material that explored the culture and history side of things, as opposed to gardening and their biology, etc.
How did you settle on the Poppy as the first flower?
I began by thinking of what flowers would be relevant around the time that I originally (and naively) thought I could be going to print with the first issue, which at the time was the month of November last year. Of course the poppy was the first flower to come to mind. I considered a few others but ultimately the poppy stuck in my brain and I couldn’t get her out. I also reasoned this flower is quite symbolic and extremely influential around the world, and would be an easy launching point to began explaining the concept with potential contributors and inspire them in their work. I was really excited about showing a different side of The Poppy that many people wouldn’t think of initially when this flower comes to mind.
Where did you go to source writers, poets and artists to contribute?
I did a lot of searching through many small independently published magazines, that are in print and online, looking at their contributors. I searched through fine art and writers programs on university websites, discovering the work of students and graduates. I also found artists through Instagram, some of which I had in mind right from the beginning as I had been following them for a while and loved their work. One source would sometimes lead to another – it was a lot of work of course but I enjoyed it and it was a great feeling to get a contributor on board who was passionate about the subject and who’s work aligned with our particular vision.
What unexpected discoveries have you made to date about the world of flowers and publishing through Future Fossil Flora?
When I began curating artists I was pleasantly surprised to discover how many people use flowers in their work, and loved finding different styles that complimented each other to give a varied look at what we call ‘modern botanical illustrations’. When I began reaching out to artists and receiving keen feedback on the concept of Future Fossil Flora, it gave me more confidence that this magazine had the potential to connect with a wide global audience.
Independent publishing is definitely a lot of work, and to use a cliched but accurate saying, a labour of love. You really have to have multiple purposes and goals when creating an independent magazine as it is such an investment of time and money, with no guarantee at the other end if it will be successful. But if you believe in something enough you will work through it to make it happen, and hope it connects with people. So far the response has been wonderful, and I am really enjoying the stage of the process we are in now of distributing The Poppy issue to shops and customers around the world.
Can you reveal the next flower under consideration?
Yes! We are going to feature The Orchid.
Can you tell us a bit more about your own work as a photographer and curator?
My work as a photographer focuses mainly on portraiture and still life, and is inspired by traditional ways that women and flowers have been portrayed. I explore themes of life and death in my work, confronting grief and beauty simultaneously on a path to discover how the latter can heal the former.
As a curator I love discovering new artists and writers and bringing their work together with more established contributors on an equal platform, and it is my goal to create a magazine that gives opportunity to show beautiful and powerful work. I would love to build a reputation for publishing quality work and for that to lead to more opportunities for our contributors to continue to grow in the creative industry. I am also very passionate about providing a space where people from all over the world can tell their stories inspired by our feature flower, and hope that our audience can connect with a story from somewhere they might not have considered otherwise, and that flowers can be a medium for connection.
Which publications have inspired and excited you most this year?
I love Cereal, The Gentlewoman, Riposte and Kinfolk for their wonderful stories and amazing art, and their confident design. I really admire their business models as publications, which is definitely what I aspire to with Future Fossil Flora.
Issue one costs £10
Words: Michael McDermott
