Print Is Not Dead, Just Very Jetlagged: Vol. 1 — Melbourne
Welcome to a new Pilot travel series. Join us in exploring cities through the bloodshot eyes of magazine people, where discovery is instinctual and experiences are tactile. We live for unsung gems, and occasionally the viral monoculture spots because we're not above a sexy logo. The perspective of this series comes from a liminal space between type A and type B worlds. We'll do some planning but not too much, just enough to piss off either side. Most of all, we map cities with the particular wiring of magazine people — half feral, half obsessive.For this volume, we went to Melbourne for the Melbourne Art Book Fair at the National Gallery of Victoria.
THE DESTINATION: THE NGV ART BOOK FAIRThe National Gallery of Victoria itself is like an architectural fever dream. The ceiling of the space with everyones’ tables was covered in stained glass, like some sort of cathedral. I had the thought, that’s alllmost too embarrassing to put here, that I would easily get married in that building.
As corny as it is, there was an Aus energy at the fair — less self-conscious than European publishing festivals, more experimental than any in the States. I was representing Pilot on a panel with Unprojects and Art Smitten, discussing the current state of independent publishing. The conversation flowed from discussing curation, to production, to what my experience was during Pilot’s conception. Listen to the conversation on Spotify, here. Shoutout to the organizer, Sen Vanderzalm, for putting together the lovely program and the fair as a whole.
Pilot’s stock sold quickly — a good problem that left me with four magazines, and awkwardly having to stare down people across the room to acknowledge the barren table. But everything was fun to do next to Pilot’s neighbors, Chloe and Alex, from Sydney-based mag Soft Stir, who were incredibly welcoming — with that specific kind of warmth that exists between people with the same financially questionable ambition.
Standout finds from the fair:
Long Prawn who were chopping up their books and selling them by the gram.
Fiend Books, curated by Odessa Mykytowycz who has sublime taste.
Pearl Slug Studio, a crazzzzy experimental publishing house, rooted in a Chinese context.
HOME BASE: STANDARDXThe StandardX played host to my jet-lagged body, and I couldn't have asked for a better headquarters. Nothing flashy, just well-designed calm. Lighting that made me feel cinematic even while deliriously indulging in my new soap-opera-y guilty pleasure, This Is Us. This place was characterised not by big gestures, but quiet hospitalitian (invented that word) confidence. Like the hotel version of someone with a perfectly packed carry-on. Everyone I spoke to was sweet as hell, and someone even sent me recs for the area.
The hotel hosted a print pop-up with Tomorrow Publications during my stay — a small but mighty collection featuring limited edition art books. Art books seem to be coming out of Melbournian’s tuchuses and I love it. My room was easy on the eyes with a very Fitzroy view. But the real eye candy may have been the custom robe designed by Worktones (who also designs their staff uniforms). I didn't have space to bring one home (I wasn’t gonna steal it, they were selling them, ok) which I'm still upset about. Overall, if you’re visiting Melbourne for the Art Book Fair or in general, this is the perfect stay. And you can source me a robe. Half joking, but it does happen to be stocked in this cute little bodega-inspired area they call ‘The Box’ with well-curated items, apparel, snacks.
If you’re local and just want to check it out, it’s deffo worth trying the hotel’s restaurant, Bang. They served one of the most memorable dishes of my whole trip: ‘Rendang beef cheek with dry noodles and broccolini’. Absurdly good. The noodles turned out to be normally moistured — a pleasant surprise.
(My stay and this section was courtesy of StandardX. All views are my own.)
HIGHLIGHT: VERY GOOD COFFEEIf you've heard people bang on about Melbourne's coffee culture, I'm here to confirm it's no exaggeration. Being from the states, I thought I was serious about the art of a creamy and sweet coffee. But Melbs changed the game with it’s elevated approach. And perfect ice cubes, which suddenly I think is the most important element.
Top hits:
Good Measure (Carlton) – Their iced Mont Blanc was the best coffee I’ve ever had. It's black coffee (not usually my thing) with cream, and grated nutmeg and orange. It’s creamy and flavourful and shouldn't work at 8 AM but absolutely does.
Industry Beans (Fitzroy) – Beautiful space. The Fitzroy Iced Coffee was so good that I bought some strange boxed concentrate from their store to try and remake it. Not as good — you don’t need to do this. Incredible spot to work remotely/set up a laptop.
Dua Bakehouse (Collingwood Yards) – Possibly my favorite. Their matcha was the real deal, and I was so down bad that I posted my first instagram story of my breakfast since seventh grade with the words “Ethereal Brekky”. My brother called within 30 seconds to make fun of me.
NEIGHBORHOODS: FITZROY, BRUNSWICK & PRESTONMelbourne's artier neighborhoods are similar but have their own energies. It’s worth exploring Fitzroy, Brunswick, and Preston. My main takeaway, which is a bit more general, was the architecture. All over Melbourne, but also Sydney which I flew into, were these gorgeous indoor-outdoor spaces on “Victorian Terrace Houses”, with gorgeous intricate railings called “Sydney Lace”.
But so, Fitzroy feels like their Shoreditch if you’ve ever been to Ldn. Graffiti murals, book launches in wine shops, sexy bars. Ok fine Shoreditch doesn’t have sexy bars. You could also spend a whole day in and out of vintage shops and concept stores and still not scratch the surface.
I felt Brunswick was a tad less arted-up, in a nice way. Less polished, more lived-in. Preston sits further north. Warehouses transform into studios while keeping their industrial grit intact. It's where people move when they get priced out of Fitzroy but before the same thing happens there. I’ve heard Brunswick’s got that too though tbf.
NOT GOODBYE: SEE YOU LATERLeaving Melbourne didn’t feel like an ending. Things there don’t demand your attention then die out. They linger. I left Melbourne with more questions than answers and a Notes app full of lists: names of coffee spots I didn’t get to, new friends I want to yap more with, naturey spots I didn’t have time for, and creatives to collaborate with. Melbourne doesn’t present itself all at once. It unspools slowly, sideways.
Especially the Uber driver, who rescued me from a faraway airport (thanks Jetstar), and revealed in small talk, that he hunts ‘Yowies’. I believed him instantly.
