NEWSFLASH: Keith Reilly Is Guest Editor For .Cent Magazine. In Shops Now.

Have a look here: www.centmagazine.co.uk/

The world looks just that little bit brighter when you get a chance to see it through the eyes of Keith Reilly, creative director of fabric. Speaking to him, you’re much more likely to get wrapped in a discussion on Dagur Kári or the austere power of Scott Walker, or a heated debate about why fiction is pointless (“Fiction is far too lightweight compared to facts,” he often tells me), than you are a dialogue about fabric (“It’s pure self indulgence,” he said recently on RA).

Living a life fuelled solely by creativity and passion, Keith’s on an eternal search for things that touch and astonish him. His record collection, certainly one of the biggest in the UK, attests to that. He’s a digger, a collector, an obsessive…and a dedicated spirit on a mission to share the wonderful things he finds. Working with him, you realize quite quickly that “pure self indulgence” are three words he takes to heart. And that’s a beautiful thing. With a contagious sense of childlike enthusiasm, Keith somehow finds magic in the most unlikely places.

When I first came across .Cent, I found myself thoroughly consumed, devouring every page from top to bottom, whizzing from cover to cover. Keith, of course, fell head over heels for it instantly; he was cut from the same cloth (sorry, pardon the fabric pun). He applauds anyone with an anarchist slant in general, but .Cent’s approach floored even him – with no proper journalists on board, they use what they call ‘Circlical Publishing.’ In their own words:
“.Cent is a bi-annual magazine celebrating creativity in all its forms. In each issue we invite a well-respected creative, or creative duo, to choose a title that expresses something core to their beliefs. They then invite people with whom they have worked, or admire, to interpret the title from their own imaginative perspectives, giving readers the opportunity to see the guest editor in a more personal light, whilst also showing all the facets that they encompass. .Cent then welcomes a worldwide network of creatives from fashion, art, music, design, illustration, literature and others, to contribute with their own interpretation of the title. These contributions are then shared with the readers without the heavy hand of an intrusive editorial opinion. This inimitable concept allows contributors to speak directly to the readers, creating an intimate yet open debate.

In a final step, .Cent encourages readers to offer their ideas and suggestions for contributions to the following issue. The distinctive process as a whole, .Cent calls Circlical Publishing. TM.”

Last summer, .Cent asked Keith to come on board as guest editor for the next issue of their bi-yearly labour of love. After over 8 months of planning and exchanging ideas (and .Cent having a superhuman sense of patience with us, I might add) that issue – ‘A Sense of Purpose’ – is out now.

Keith explains his title: “The briefest glance at dictionary definitions of the word purpose reveals its relationship with art that transcends mere aesthetics.
‘The reason for which something is done or created or for which something exist’
‘Purpose is the cognitive awareness in cause and effect linking for achieving a goal in a given system, whether human or machine.’

A sense of purpose is fundamental to everything we do at fabric, otherwise, quite simply, what would be the point. Replication is utterly devoid of any level of stimulation to me. If we do not aspire to do things differently we are not creating, we are involved in nothing more sophisticated than a manufacturing process.

Art that truly has a sense of purpose distinguishes it from frivolous plagiarism and the arena of arts and craft. Read in either direction the phrase may encapsulate a quality in any piece of art that makes it extraordinary or distinctive. Read as written, the statement is self-explanatory. When read in reverse it explores art in a wider context. The very purpose of art is to affect any of your senses and there is often a point when any piece either makes sense or it doesn’t. This may be a consequence of the environment in which you experience it or something as simple and intangible as timing. This is when something quite inconsequential yet beautiful comes into focus, when we see it, when we understand it, when it touches us. The touch we spend our lives in search of. That moment of beauty when everything other than this moment or object of beauty wilts beneath its majesty and all that remains is you and it. This is the moment when you are in touch with the parts of your psyche or soul that only art can stimulate, and this is the reason our search for it becomes so intense and obsessive. For some of us it feels like our primary language, or at least the only one, we truly understand.”

Keep it locked here for more from the .Cent team and Keith over the next couple weeks. Head over to .Cent's site to nab a copy, or go support your local bookstore...the new issue is in good shops now.