A publication resulting from the research-creation project Vibrations FORWARD
FWD is a publication developed as part of Vibrations FORWARD, a year-long research-creation project conducted at ECAL/École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (HES-SO), drawing on the archives of the Swiss magazine Vibrations, published in Lausanne between 1991 and 2013.
A monthly magazine dedicated to popular music, Vibrations occupied a unique position within the Swiss French-speaking media landscape. At a time when musical genres were still largely compartmentalised, the magazine stood out for its openness to emerging scenes, the diversity of traditions it explored, and its strong visual identity, combining hand-drawn headlines, full-page photographs and illustrations. Its articles highlighted the circulation and hybridisation between musical cultures, from jazz in hip-hop to the connections between blues, gospel, RnB and African traditions in electronic music.
Drawing on this archive, FWD questions the ways in which a passion for music can today be transmitted, written, read and experienced through an editorial object. At the intersection of graphic design and visual arts, the publication explores the notions of circulation, hybridisation and transmission, while questioning the evolution of music press in the age of digital platforms and algorithmic recommendations.
Its structure is organised around five moments — identity, production, regulation, consumption and representation — while its graphic language draws inspiration from the principles of loops, samples, mashups and remixes. Each article develops its own visual language, while contributing to a shared editorial coherence. FWD thus considers the music magazine as an open space, where stories, images and musical practices can intersect, transform and continue to generate new relationships.
Vibrations FORWARD is developed by ECAL/École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (HES-SO), in collaboration with CIRCUIT Centre d’art contemporain and the association On The Vibe, founded by Elisabeth Stoudmann, co-founder of Vibrations.