Index Magazine: The 51 issues that defined the ’90s

A retrospective accumulation during the caller Paris Design Week, dedicated to Index Magazine, stirred some nostalgia and anticipation among die-hard fans of people media. From 1996 to 2005, the publishing task of creator Peter Halley and writer-curator Bob Nickas became the dependable of New York’s avant-garde scene.

Its pages featured immoderate of the biggest stars and creators of the era, photographed by the likes of Juergen Teller, Helmut Newton, and Hedi Slimane. In the April 2001 issue, Björk interviewed Alexander McQueen; successful November 2003, screenwriter Justin Haythe spoke with Willem Dafoe. A 16-year-old Scarlett Johansson graced her archetypal cover, talking astir teenage life, captured by lensman Lita Harding, who flew to Arizona for the shoot. Activist Bianca Jagger was photographed checking successful for a formation to India astatine JFK Airport, portion Halley himself interviewed Isabella Rossellini successful December 1999.

A Bold Vision That Shaped Indie Culture

The earthy imagery and profoundly idiosyncratic interviews of Index acceptable the code for a question of unconventional magazines that flourished concisely earlier being swept distant by the integer revolution. From the dawn of the idiosyncratic machine to the emergence of societal media, the satellite changed dramatically — yet 2 decades later, successful an epoch dominated by screens, people inactive holds an entreaty for a prime audience. The tactile pleasance of insubstantial remains.

As AnOther Magazine precocious observed, “Gen Z is opening to rediscover print.”

A Pop Experiment successful Publishing

Launched astatine the tallness of indie civilization successful New York’s Nolita district, Index was fresh, pop, and visually daring — a surviving acquisition arsenic overmuch arsenic a magazine. After its archetypal black-and-white issues, it embraced color, with each diagnostic carrying its ain ocular palette and typography. It didn’t conscionable bespeak civilization — it designed it. Defining what it meant to beryllium an autarkic artist, it proved that civilization could beryllium some written and visually constructed.

“We Had No Idea What We Were Doing — That Was the Secret”

Artist and co-founder Peter Halley recalls his decade-long publishing journey:

“The concealed of our occurrence was that we had nary thought what we were doing oregon wherever we were going. When I lived successful New Orleans successful the ’70s, Interview Magazine was my lifeline. I’d unreserved to the newsstand for each caller contented — Andy Warhol was the eventual popular authorization and our inspiration. At Index, the editors played a immense role. I brought successful radical from the creation world. Even though the interviews seemed earthy and unedited, determination was a batch of enactment down them to marque them coherent.”

“Index wasn’t conscionable a work — we were a assemblage successful editorial overdrive. My favourite interrogation was betwixt Bijou Phillips and Bruce LaBruce, due to the fact that it was truthful utmost — she admits to talking nether the power of a supposedly ‘harmless’ drug. It was thrilling to signifier worldly that could go a large issue. Even with debased accumulation costs, the mag had tremendous impact.”

A Legacy That Still Resonates

The 51st contented marked the extremity of Index’s tally successful 2005, leaving down a affluent archive and a timeless exemplary for aboriginal media.

“Even successful the property of Instagram, there’s inactive country for magazines,” says Bob Nickas. “I emotion them, and I don’t judge people volition vanish anytime soon — though printing is expensive. Digital media has democratized communication, for amended oregon worse.”