The publication’s second issue delves into physical and metaphysical notions of protection, from fairy amulets to herbal remedies and beyond
Our current world has been described by some as a New Dark Age. With neo-feudal lords reigning over us in the form of private businesses and literal plagues pointing to the End Times, there is an overwhelming feeling of uncertainty as we brace ourselves to enter a new era. Online, we see this manifest in the return of medieval aesthetics and folklore, as artists borrow from old traditions to make sense of the unknown.
“The pandemic was a real void of nothingness, so perhaps that’s why materiality became so important to a lot of us,” says Guia Bertorello and Sara Butler, the founders of London-based independent magazine Odious Rot. “In introspective moments like this, craft is maybe a way of anchoring yourself within these chasms.” Founded in 2021, the physical publication documents the work of craft practitioners across the world. “Our aim is to fossilise in print cultural moments that are mainly existing online,” they explain.
Focusing on the theme of protection, issue two features 30 creatives who draw on themes of the occult and neo-medievalism to create fantastical craftworks, from armoured thrones to herbal remedies and fae offerings. There are Floryan Varennes’ PVC coats of armour and Alfred Pietroni’s grotesque caged portals; Jenny Collins’ posthuman tattoos and Leonore Camus-Govoroff’s glazed stoneware in the shape of battle axes. “Being pushed into a fast culture that values action over intention, a return to rituals and spiritual practices is a way of nurturing cultural roots and connecting with heritage as an anchor in these uncertain times,” says Guia Bertorello.
Below, we speak to Guia Bertorello and Sara Butler about Odious Rot issue two, the return of the craft movement, and the importance of physical artefacts in our increasingly digital landscape.
How did Odious Rot first come about? What inspired its creation and name?
Guia Bertorello and Sara Butler: The project began as a way to archive our own works in progress, but it evolved as we invited in collaborators operating within our spheres. Issue one was born from a moment of deep introspection during lockdown; we were experiencing isolation but leaning into the spiritualism that can only come from solitude. At this point, we’d only met in person twice (both working on the project remotely), but communicating every day became our ritual practice. It was incredibly grounding during that hostile time.
Paraphrasing Most Dismal Swamp – dear friend, collaborator and writer of issue one’s foreword – we can say that rather than simply being a process of subtraction, decay encompasses multiple organisms, coexisting in the soft architecture of putrefaction. This is what Odious Rot means for us; independent makers and thinkers emerging from the substratum in a collective effort to make sense of the contemporary visual landscape.
What are your individual artistic backgrounds and how do your practices inform the magazine?
Guia Bertorello: I’m a recent fashion design graduate, but I now operate across sound, wearables, moving image and art objects. I have always had a pretty multi-disciplinary practice, which reflects in the way we think about concepts and content for Odious Rot.
Sara Butler: I’m a graphic designer working in brand identity and printed matter. I’ve never worked with someone as well as I do with Guia, and at this point, I think we’re one being. Guia’s an incredible stylist and brings a poeticism that I really value, whereas my background in print helps inform the materiality of the project.
You refer to the site as an online wetland, what does that mean? How does it relate to the wider system of realms that you’ve created?
Odious Rot: Our work is often based on world-building, so we want our sites to act like portals into each project. Sara did our first one and it’s pretty janky, so we partnered with our dear friend Dan Baragwanath at DXR Zone for the issue two pre-order microsite. This issue places work within the physical and metaphysical realms; we’re continuously building the Odious Rot macrocosm, and Dan’s done an incredible job of bringing it online.
What interests you about craft revival? Why do you think we’re seeing its resurgence? What sort of ideologies and belief systems underpin this resurgence?
Odious Rot: The pandemic was a real void of nothingness, so perhaps that’s why materiality became so important to a lot of us. In introspective moments like this, craft is maybe a way of anchoring yourself within these chasms. It’s why we’ve seen a resurgence in primaeval pastimes like foraging and bread-making too; they’re highly grounding practices. Also, having something physical and tangible is such a precious thing; so much content now just gets lost in the digital wasteland. With Odious Rot, our aim is to fossilise in print cultural moments that are mainly existing online.
There are a lot of references to medieval aesthetics and folk practices or mysticism. Again, why do you think we’re seeing these themes emerge now? What do you think people find compelling about them?
Guia Bertorello: Being pushed into a fast culture that values action over intention, a return to rituals and spiritual practices is a way of nurturing cultural roots and connecting with heritage as another anchor in uncertain times. I grew up in Genova, Italy, and religion is tied into every mundane aspect of life, as well as local superstition. Our society is fairly egotistical, connecting with peers through more social aspects of our spiritual practice can make us feel more centred, human.
Sara Butler: Ritual practice is incredibly grounding, and similarly to craft revival, I think it helped a lot of folks to not just entirely dissociate during isolation. With neo-medievalism, I think people are finding worth in archaic ways of living and role-playing. I grew up in the Isle of Man, where folklore and faeries are deeply woven into our culture; I think a little delusion is healthy.
What are some of the main themes explored in issue two? Can you give examples? And how does it differ to issue one?
Odious Rot: Our first issue observed Rituals & Bodily Practices formed amidst the pandemic. Our theme wasn’t prescribed, but formed as we noticed commonalities amongst the content. We were talking a lot about bathing and personal rituals at the time, so gravitated towards work on self-ornament, shapeshifting and body modification.
For issue two, Weapons & Self Protection, we’ve crafted a system of realms to delve into the physical and metaphysical manifestations of protection. This time we opened our submissions to the public, calling for folks to self-identify their practice within the Odious Rot macrocosm. Ready yourself for armoured thrones, herbal remedies and fae offerings.
Can you tell us a bit about what we can expect around your launch?
Odious Rot: We’ve been hard at work conjuring a physical portal into Odious Rot with our partners odyXxey. We’ve heard some whispers through the veil of what’s to come…
The battle has waned, dawn has broken. Weak-limbed, bellies swollen from hunger we slump, kneeling in the dank earth. Furs are brought to clothe the bare, kindling lit. Sweetmeats and bread pass hand to hand, a cheese wrapped in linen, butter, broth. Musik salves the feral beast. Clumsy, feet heavy with mead, we frolic anew.
There’s one more week to pre-order Odious Rot issue two here