Charlotte Falk – Display Magazine Editor/Creative Director
1. Where did you grow up?
I grew up on the prairies. Most of my childhood and adolescent years were spent in Saskatoon (with a few young years in Winnipeg). After high school, I moved to Edmonton to pursue a Bachelor of Design at the University of Alberta. I studied Industrial Design and Visual Communication Design.
I graduated in 2006 and thought I would immediately move away. Instead, I found myself immersed in an amazing community of creative people. I got back into painting, and started the magazine. I strongly believe that the opportunities I experienced with both endeavors would not have happened in another city. Edmonton’s creative community is thriving. It is amazingly prolific and supportive.
2. Why did you and Jenn start Display?
Jennifer covered this a bit in her interview, but basically we both found ourselves wanting to remember why we first fell in love with design. At the time, we were both working design jobs that were less than fulfilling. We wanted to work on something that would let us play, and realized that with a project like DISPLAY, we could do this and also give other designers the chance to play – to remember why they first fell in love design. This passion for design, combined with an interest in the culture of design in Canada, drove the mission statement for the magazine. After that, everything sort of fell into place.
3. Why are you trying to do a Masters in Architecture while co-publishing a magazine?
We started talking about the magazine when I was looking at grad schools. When I decided to attend UBC, the magazine was already well underway. I thought it would be reasonable to keep both endeavors going – kind of a crazy idea. I don’t recommend it for those who enjoy sleep.
4. What’s your favourite part of having a magazine?
Getting to see what our amazing contributors come up with, and getting to do unconventional things with print. Because the magazine isn’t predominantly driven by ad dollars and other similar constraints (although we do still need to sell ads), we get to play around with things like white space. I love white space!
5. Could you name some of your favourite designers/visionaries and what you like about their work?
Right now I’m reallly interested in practices that bridge the gap between art and design. In the last few months, I’ve been studying Sol Lewitt’s work a great deal. Diller and Scofidio is another interest, as is Peter Zumpthor. I’ve also started seriously nerding out on architecture theory, and have completely fallen in love with drawing in the last couple years. I spend a lot of time pouring over architecture drawings. Enrique Miralles’ drawings are amazing, to name one example.
