Kinfolk Magazine – Issue 33

Kinfolk Magazine Issue 33 (the Education Issue) is available now on loremnotipsum.com. We can never shake the back-to-school feeling that September brings. As predictable as the urge to hunker down in winter, then travel in the warmer months, the fall stirs up memories of sharp pencils and blank slates. Rather than dragging our heels reluctantly into the new term, the Education Issue rises to the challenge and asks: How can we keep on learning? From interviews with celebrated academics and alternative practitioners to a fashion editorial set in the most visually inspiring school in Denmark, Issue Thirty-Three of Kinfolk considers how education might be reimagined for a time when cognitive scientists are increasingly insistent that there is no expiry date on our brain’s ability to learn.

Perhaps you don’t need educating on the state of education: You’ve seen in the news that the best colleges can be bribed, or that for-profit institutions have become debt factories for those who attend. Power should not equal knowledge, but the financial burden of higher education often makes it so. Meanwhile, students who do make it to college are under pressure to approach “book learning” with a tunnel vision that steamrolls more creative ways of thinking. This issue of Kinfolk rejects the definition of a good education as one that ends with good grades.

In putting together our fall issue, we considered education as a lifelong pursuit: What can we learn about our bodies, minds, beliefs and societies, and who can teach us? In Los Angeles, we meet Erica Chidi Cohen, the co-founder of Loom—specializing in schooling its (adult) students on bodies, healthcare and better sex. For Chidi Cohen, this new pedagogy is a response to political failures. “If we can’t get people healthcare, we need to get them education,” she says.

The people we meet in Issue Thirty-Three prove just how many different paths can lead you to a meaningful career. Montreal-based producer Kaytranada found success so early that he never finished high school, whereas Belgian painter Michaël Borremans spent a decade working as a teacher prior to becoming an acclaimed figurative artist. And some people manage to sidestep the idea of a “calling” altogether: Waris Ahluwalia has funneled his bonhomie into being an actor, model, jewelry designer and activist. Elsewhere there are bubbles, puzzles and a fashion editorial that takes the form of an all-night party. As Ahluwalia reminds us: “We’re all dying. But if we can do it while we’re dancing?”

Also in the issue, we consider what Roland Barthes might have to say about modern dating, interview Desiree Akhavan about making films now she’s no longer a Hollywood outsider, and ask whether hitting “rock bottom” is really a necessary part of starting over. Elsewhere, we break new territory with our first painted fashion shoot and a reported long read on why social media is sustaining, rather than exposing, the scourge of pyramid schemes.

Kinfolk is a slow lifestyle magazine published by Ouur that explores ways for readers to simplify their lives, cultivate community and spend more time with their friends and family. Founded in 2011, Kinfolk is now the leading independent lifestyle magazine for young creative professionals and also produces international editions in Japan, China, Korea and Russia. Published quarterly, Kinfolk maintains a vibrant contributor base from Copenhagen to Cape Town. Every element of Kinfolk—the features, photography, and general aesthetics—are consistent with the way we feel entertaining should be: simple, uncomplicated, and less contrived. Kinfolk is the marriage of our appreciation for art and design and our love for spending time with family and friends.

Details: Kinfolk Magazine – Issue 33

With a dynamic mix of long-form journalism, interviews and shorter essays, plus concept-driven visual stories and contributors across the globe, the forthcoming issue of Kinfolk Magazine continues to dedicate its editorial to exploring personal values and quality of life. 192 pages, offset-printed and perfect bound, full color on uncoated paper. Printed in Canada.