MacGuffin #16 The Mirror

A beautifully crafted Dutch magazine about the life of ordinary things. Like Hitchcock’s MacGuffins, these objects never take center stage, yet they quietly shape the narrative and spin the most intricate plots around themselves. A bed, a window, and a rope — these were the themes of its first issues. On the pages of the magazine, such mundane objects are revealed from unexpected angles, connecting people of various professions and appearing across all forms of art.

In 2016, the magazine won the top international prize for independent publishing, the Stack Awards.

“The tool of every self-portrait is the mirror,” observed filmmaker Agnès Varda. “Turn it the other way, and you see the world.” This issue of the magazine does exactly that, exploring a realm of seasonal darkness and manipulated sunshine, facial recognition and fit checks, Claude glasses and mirror balls, fleeting reflections and idealised selfies, narcissistic echoes and confessional essays. Featuring photographer Shahram Saadat, novelist Peter Delpeut, design educator Ghalia Elsrakbi, fashion researcher Aude Fellay, chemist-turned-curator Fulvio Ferrari, architect Sam Jacob, designer Sabine Marcelis, visual artist Iriée Zamblé, writer Kandace Siobhan Walker, and many more.

Netherlands / eng. / 21×28 cm / 192 pages / 0.5 kg.