Carol Montpart

0:20So I think Joey is going to give away some magazine so you can have look while I go through this talk so basically the plant my name is Carl I'm co-founder and Co director of the plant magazine I would like to thank it'sa for having me here and celebrating nature tonight and thanks all of you for coming so I'll start saying that we describe ourselves as a a curious Observer of ordinary plants and other Greenery and I think as all organic things plants have an special charm or at least as we think what we think so I think we see the plan as the opportunity to share ideas with our readers is just really this.

1:05And I would like to focus the talk tonight about the behind the scenes and how a magazine the talk about plants makes the way we are and the way we work.

1:18So this I go really quickly through this fact list so we the plant initially was the plan Journal which Chang the name a couple of years ago this was founded in 20 201 2011 sorry it's a long time ago and Christina Marino is editor-in Chief Isabel Marino our director they're both in Barcelona and yes they are sisters and myself Carol mpar our director in London. So imagine how discussion about anything with two sisters so now at the moment we work between Barcelona and London.

1:52So I would probably say that the 90 99% of our content is online so bunch of emails loads of whatsapps texts I don't know like rare meetings and Casual phone calls and this is us. And I'm I'm really happy I'm proud sorry to show this this photo today because it's the first shot we have of us three together so every time we go like we we give a talk in Barcelona or in London or anywhere else we can never show the theme.

2:22So this is us this was show last week we were working about issue issue eight and probably I would like to explain the story how everything started and you know and probably you you think oh why why why a magazine about plans so Isa and myself were working at the same graphic design studio CH used to work for a newspaper in Barcelona and then we're all very like probably yeah obsessed about publications and really into plans not as obsessed because maybe we didn't know as much about plans than Publications but anyway.

2:58So we just thought okay we want to you know I don't know release our fans in I think at some point we thought bolog is a spaghetti I don't know like just something let's do something.

3:09And then one day having a beer I think it was Isa was like why we don't do something about plants and then from here we didn't have a business plans we didn't even think that we're feeling any Gap or you know just like this okay we want to this let's do it.

3:23And then we started sending emails to different people. And I want to say this because obviously in 2010 we didn't have as many Niche magazines as we have now so probably if I send an email now oh you know to a great photographer or you know do you do you want to contribute to this magazine new magazine about plant maybe it would be easier but in 2010 three girls sending an email saying oh we have this magazine number plans it was like it was not I don't know not not a normal thing. Anyway.

3:53So issue one stack or F this is our first issue and and I think basically the plan is we explain stories that already happened and this is something that we we're we're really enjoying exploring now at the moment is why are we having so much trouble with advertising or Etc so it's because nature cannot be controlled we see something. And we explain what happens we can't I mean sometimes I get interviews like what is the trend is planned now I don't know what what L should I buy next year I don't know I mean it's just like nature is just one of these things that you cannot you know you just need to to follow and I think but like in a way it restricts us. But also is a challenge which I think we I don't know I think we really we really enjoy and so basically Probably sounds like a cliche but like I think the magazine works as nature Works basically which just like you're in having dinner with a friend and then listen about this story and he it's like okay I'm going to follow this.

5:02And then everything happens really natural and really relaxed until the close like the the time of sending the magazine to PR comes that. That's not relaxed so I'm going to go very quickly through all the issues issue two basically we choose a a PL every issue in it's like the botanic section. And I want to talk a little bit about that sentence yeah sorry this statement is just something that at the end of every issue we can of want need to come up with and needs to talk a little bit about the plan we choose and believe me it's a headache it's a nightmare Chris wants to why are we doing this.

5:47And I really think maybe nobody did get that every like every issue we have this this sentence like a mid-century modern classic or the Obscure geometry of a flower when we talk about chamelia but I don't know I think we should keep it it's just like something between us and and it's nice and you know. And so yeah we're definitely going to keep it although Chris is going to kill me issue three that was launched in Paris Camelia Issue four that was a really nice one is cover of wol G Tillman we launched this in in Berlin do you read me I give a quick talk about the issue there the aesthetic appeal of a pattern issue five love this one don't fool me banana that was a good one then issue SE spider plant bad mother keeping in the family that's cover of dauk Hamada that was launched in London CL duror books and this is the last one issue seven asparagus fern ugly on the inside I leave it there up to you so after this I just want to to talk a little bit about the story of D German Keith Collins Tilda Swinton and and the plant and I want to explain all this because is a good example of how organic and dynamic the platform of the plant is and how things happen and how easy they happen and and how many people are involved in maybe just one thing that happens one one evening for for those who are not familiar as with der German um this is like a quote that I I I took from the from the article so dere German the celebrated painter filmmaker and activist was a passionate Gardener from IL Boyhood he remembers the day he was giving his first gardening book 23rd of April 1946 beautiful flowers and how to grow them and kept a gardening Journal at Prospect Cottage a book that was to become his last work Derek J German's Garden so the story of this is I go to Don books in Bradway market and I know Conor Conor Don from long time ago. And I really like his book shop and he always has really good like book selection.

8:06And then he has like he's displaying on the window some Derek charm's books and I'm like oh great like it could be really nice to do something about this in the plan and he was like well I know Keith Collins who is D German's partner maybe I can put you in touch cool yeah let's do it.

8:21So then I email Keith Collins hoping he's going to reply and at the same time fear of maybe he he won't and he gets back to us. And then we post a magazine to him. And then he really likes it.

8:35And then we're like Okay.

8:39So let's just talk about Derek jman of Danes and what world he created down there with his partner Keith Collins so I just wanted to show a little bit the the layout of this of this article photographs by Kat Stevens a regular photographer contributor and words by K O'Brien this is the the cottage with a poem of Derek on the facade a few plants and then the odity because that landscape is like you get there. And is flat endlessness nuclear power station in the background and then in the middle like this amazing Cottage with this beautiful flowers all around and then Keith Collins that was really nice he he wanted to kind of write a poem about about Derek and he did and going back to the behind scenes thing.

9:39This is Kate and Cat the day we went out to Ness in cat's car I love that car I want that car love it it's been a few experience already with this car and I just really like it. And this is another shot so basically we arrived there.

9:55And then Keith Collins received us and he was looking to this listening to this obscure music weird and we're like hello and then he offered us a tea so we s down it was lovely talking so much about Derek and he shared with us his Derek jman's journals it was really really lovely and that these are the amazing shots that Cat Stevens took and that Cat Stevens taking a photo and that's Kate O'Brien taking a photo for her plan references and that's Kate again and then yeah that's me.

10:31And I think we we ended up going down to the Sea and just like as Derek would have done so just go down to the Sea and collect all these gifts from the sea and this kind of object TR Tru experience and then from here and just keeping and talking about this how easy things work we contact Tia Swinton and how because we when we we were researching about the article of Derek German we we saw this highly recommended by the way this documentary of Tilda Swinton that she wrote and performed in 2008 and we discover as well that it was Derek sharman's Muse so I was like okay just going to email the agent of Tilda Swinton and see what happens and then she came back to us and she was a subscriber can you imagine I was like what it's like she was a subscriber like oh I know plant I love the plant I think Tia's traveling but you know I'm just going to try to make it happen and it happened and that's lovely because she writes very well. And I'm just going to read like very quickly this she she wrote a poem and it says there is a tree that lives in a field by the house in Scotland in which I grew up since I was able to walk it has stood and looked at me.

11:51This is a picture of it it's a magnificent Beast no doubt about it we continue to eye each other all friends I call it the P tree part elephant part octopus it plants its Hooves Puffs out its cheeks and Nails a gaze how much wiser could an I be and that's very beautiful and the poem is like is longer than that. And this is the these are the the images she sent and yeah like it's probably like a a good good moment to mention we have a section in the magazine called my plant spy and we always.

12:28So we when we have the meeting about the the content of the upcoming issue we just mention a few people that we really admire and we always ask like a picture and some words to to go with these pictures and this time was Tia and it was lovely and she contact us directly she was very happy with the result and that's it really thank you. And I hope you enjoy the talk and the next is of the plan is all in October we'll we'll keep you posted thank you ♪

12:58[Applause]